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SPORTING FIRE-ARMS
FOR
BUSH AND JUNGLE
OR
Hints to intending Oriffs and Colonists on the Purchase,
Care, and Use of Fire-arms,
With useful Notes on Sporting Rifles, dkc.
WITH ILLUSTRATIONS BY THE AUTHOR.
BY
CAPTAIN F. F. R. BURGESS,
BENGAL STAFF COSPS.
• *■•• • » « • «« .,
'•■j"-, •• 3-
» t > ' • I. » t '^
^ 'LONDON
W. H. ALLEN & CO., 13 WATERLOO PLACE,
PALL MALL. S.W.
1884.
(AU riglda reserved.)
L
THE NEW YORK
PUBLIC LIBuARY
v5805
ASTOR, LENOX AND
TILDE N TlUNDaTIONS.
1898
LONDON :
PRINTED BY W. H. ALLEN AND CO., 13 WATERLOO PLACE.. 8.W.
• * •
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PREFACE.
Tflis little work is not intended for those who
are skilled in the use of fire-arms, but is chiefly
for the benefit of those young fellows who are
about to embark in a career in India or the
Colonies, where fire-arms form a useful, if not a
necessary part of a man's outfit.
Even if a man is no sportsman, the proper
handling of fire-arms is, in these countries, of
vital importance in an emergency, such as that
of the Indian Mutiny; and I trust that the
information contained in these pages may be of
use to intending grifl&ns and colonists, especially
to those who have no experienced friends to
whom to look for advice in the selection of a
battery suitable to their wants and means, and
on its proper use and care.
IV PREFACE .
To such of them as have a love of sport — and
most young Englishmen have — ^and look forward
to enjoying it among the large and small game
of their future country, the notes on rifles
especially will be found to be of value, as I have
endeavoured to bring together, in language as
clear of technicalities as possible, all the neces-
sary information concerning them.
Much of the matter contained in these pages
has already appeared in an abbreviated form in
articles in Wildfowler^s Shooting Times^ from my
pen.
I am indebted to Messrs. J. and W. ToUey
for kindly revising this work before going to
press. Their assistance has, I hope, prevented
any-technical errors from creeping in.
CONTENTS.
CHAPTER I.
Introductory Remarks. — Expensive Weapons not neces-
sary for Foreign Sport. — Advantages of obtaining
Guns from Good Makers. — Caution about getting
Guns from Dealers not Makers. — Guns and Rifles
most suitable for General Shooting. — The Cf linder-
bore Gun. — The "Tulip" Choke. — Description of
Choke-boring and its Advantages. — Turner's Muzzle
Attachment. — Advantages of 12-gaage over the other
Bores for Shot-guns. — Rifles for General Shooting. —
The Martini Carbine. — The '450 Single Rifle. — ^Breech-
actions of Single Rifles. — The Transvaal Rifle, and
other Single Rifles with Detachable Barrels. — The
" Cape " Gun. — Morris's Tubes. — Repeating Rifles. —
The -440, '460, and '500 Winchester Repeaters. —
•400 and '600 BuUard Repeaters. — Reserve Weapon
necessary for Dangerous Game . . . page 1
CHAPTER n.
The Care and Preservation of Fire-arms. — Their Cleaning
and Oiling. — The Examination and Cleaning of Locks.
— Their Dismounting and Putting together. — Polish-
ing of Stocks. — White Ants. — The Cleaning and
Re-loading of Fired Cartridge-cases. — Brown-paper
Cartridge-cases page 14
CHAPTER ni.
The Loads for Shot-guns. — Schultze Powder. — Kynoch's
Perfect Cases. — Sizes of Shot for various Gfame. —
VI CONTENTS.
The Loading of Spherical Ball Cartridges for Large-
bore Eifles and Shot-guns. — Buck-shot Cartridges.—
Express Eifle Cartridges. — Size of Grain of Gun-
powder. — Casting Bullets and Preparing them for
Use. — Advantage of Hollow-fronted Express Bullet
in Shooting in the Open in a Populous Country. —
Machine-made Bullets. — Substituting Express Bullets
for Military ones in the Martini-Henry Cartridge.
page 23
CHAPTEE IV.
Eemarks on Light-weight Small-bore Guns and their
Advantages. — Large-bore Wild-fowl Guns. — Extra
Barrels for Wild-fowl Guns for Ball. -The -500
Double Express the best " all round " Eifle. — ^Double
and Single Eifles. — Bad shooting qualities of inferior
Double Eifles. — Long-range Shooting with Double
Eifles. — Price of Double Eifles. — Extra Shot-barrels
for Double Eifles page 36
CHAPTEE V.
Express Eifles. — Object of the Express system. — Its Flat
Trajectory and Velocity. — The '460 Express and
Martini-Henry Eifles compared. — Advantage of Ex-
press Eifles in shooting at Moving Animals. — Table
showing Weights, Charges, &c. of the various Express
Eifles in use. — The new Government experimental
•400 Eifle. — The Marlin-Ballard Eepeating Eifle, and
another Eepeater of the same calibre. — Advantages
and Disadvantages of Eepeating Eifles. — The " Quick-
loader." — Moderate Charges best for most purposes
in Eifles. — The Shooting of Eifles affected by the
Style of Action with which they are fitted. — Eecoil. —
Weight in a Eifle necessary to counteract Eecoil. —
Weight as a Steadier of the Nerves. — " Buck Fever."
page 44
CHAPTEE VI.
Effects of Express Projectiles on Game. — ^A Description
of the various Express Pjojectiles. — The Object of
CONTENTS. Vll
Eifling.— The Degree of Spiral in various Rifles. —
Length of Barrels. — Eemarks on the different Forms
of Grooving. — The Gaining Twist. — Hardened Bullets
for Small Bores P^'ge 62
CHAPTER Vn.
The Necessity for using powerful Rifles for Heavy Game.
— General Description of Large-bore Rifles. — Table
of Weights and Charges, <fec. of Large-bore Rifles. —
Explosive Bullets and Shells for Large-bore Rifles.
page 71
CHAPTER VIII.
Effects of Explosive Bullets and Shells. — Their Advantages
and Disadvantages. — Express Bullets used as Explo-
sive Projectiles. — Anti-recoil Heel-plates. — Finger
Guards. — Smooth-bore Ball-guns. — The Macleod
Bullet for Smooth-bore Guns. — Breech Actions of
Double Rifles. — The Purdey Bolt Snap-action for
Shot-guns. — Bar and Back-action Locks. — The Ma-
terial of Rifled and Smooth-bore Barrels. — Steel and
Twisted Metal. — Belgian Gun-barrels . . page 80
CHAPTER IX.
Pistols. — Cheap and Small-sized Pistols of no Use for Real
Service.— The -456 Revolver.— The Enfield Pistol.—
Webley's, Tranter's, and Colt's Pistols. — ^American
Pistols with Heavy Charges. — Table showing Charges
of Revolver Cartridges. — Colt's " Frontier " Revolver
as a Carbine. — Self -extracting Revolvers. — The " Pull
ofiE" of Revolvers. — Their Accuracy . — Disadvantages
of Revolvers. — Lancaster's Four-barrelled Pistol. —
Double-barrelled Pistols. — Rook Rifles. — The Sight-
ing of Rifles. — Aiming. — Focussing of Rifle Sights. —
Description of Sights. — Sights for Night Shooting. —
Lyman's Sight. — Beach's Combination Sight. — The
Telescope Sight page 89
CHAPTER X.
Remarks on Rifle-Shooting. — On the Correction of Faults
in the Sighting of Rijles, and the Cause of the Bad
4 SPORTING FIRE-ARMS.
the finances does not allow of the purchase of a
better one.
The gun should be of 12-gauge, double-
barrelled, of plain finish, with back-action locks,
which admit of the breech being made of great
strength, and with the double-grip lever under
the guard action, which, though slower than the
various snap-actions, is more durable, and less
likely to get out of order.
The barrels should have plenty of metal at the
breech end, and should, to be able to shoot ball
accurately as well as shot, be cylinder-bored.
They may, however, be choked on the " tulip "
or " recess " system, and yet be able to throw
ball fairly well, as the diameter of the bore is
not constricted at the muzzle as in the ordinary
choke, but is of the same^size at the muzzle as
at the other parts of the barrel, the " choke "
(which is in this case a misnomer) being an
enlargement of the bore an inch or two before
the muzzle.
The sketches. Figs 2 and^3,' Plate I., show the
ordinary choke and the tulip choke respectively,
with, of course, much exaggerated proportions
to give a better idea of them.
SPORTING FIBE-ABMS. 5
Choke-bore guns are said to be, according to
the amount of contraction at the muzzle in an
ordinary choke, or the depth of the recess^ in the
* * tulip ' ' system, * * full choked, " ** medium
choked," or " slightly choked '' ; the amount
of "choking" varying from thirty l,000ths of
of an inch in a *' full choke '' to five l,000ths
in a slight choke. The number of No. 6 shot
that a 12 -bore gun can with an ordinary load
throw into a 30-inch circle at 40 yards varies
from about 140, in a slight choke, to 220 in a
full choke. Choke-bores shoot with more velocity
than cylinder-bores, and, as their shot is more
evenly distributed on the target, they are said
to make a better " pattern '* on it, and give less
chance to an animal escaping on account of an
uneven or patchy distribution of the shot, even
when the gun has been properly held. A small-
bore gun can be made to give as good a pattern
and shoot as hard as a large -bore ; but as the
charge of shot is smaller, it will not cover so
much space, or make such a large ** circle"
as a larger bore, which is on this account better
adapted for indifferent shots and beginners.
Turner's choke-muzzle attachment can con-
6 SPORTING FIRE-ABMS.
vert an ordinary cylinder-bored gun, fitted with
it, into a choke-bore in a minute or two ; it costs
about £3 or £4.
A double 12-bore gun, to throw ball effec-
tively, should be about 7J lbs. weight, and be
able to carry 4 drs. No. 6 powder. A bullet
mould specially adapted to the gun should be
obtained from the maker ; if not, care should
be taken npt to use a bullet too large for the
bore, as a bullet can fit the cartridge-case well
and yet be too tight in the barrel. In an
ordinary choke-bore, a bullet that fits too tightly
at the choke will carry away the muzzle of the
gun. Bullets for use in shot-guns should be
able to pass easily through the barrel.
The plain cylinder-bore will be found, espe-
cially by beginners, to throw quite well enough
for most purposes ; but for duck and other wild-
fowl shooting a choke-bore will be found most
useful ; and I think the cylinder-bore, which is
good for ball shooting, fitted with the choke-
muzzle attachment, will be found to be the best
** all round '' gun. A gun of the above descrip-
tion should be obtained for about £12, upwards,
with case and fittings.
SPORTING FIBE-ABMS. 7
It would be found useful to have a sling
fitted to the gun, as is always done with rifles.
I have mentioned 12 -gauge as the most use-
ful size. This is the size most commonly used
in India and elsewhere, and it is sometimes an
advantage to have a gun carrying the same
ammunition as those of the rest of the party one
may be with.
Guns of 20 and 16 bore are, as I will note
further on, very good for shot-shooting, but
carry a far less effective ball than the 12-
bore, and cartridges for them cannot always
be obtained from up-country dealers. A few
steel or brass chambers, which can be reloaded
after each shot, may be useful when one may
run short of cartridge-cases in an out-of-the-way
place.
I will now mention the kind of rifle most use-
ful for general purposes where a small outlay is
a consideration.
The cheapest is the Martini- Henry sporting
carbine, which can be had for about £5 ; but a
single-barrel of 450 bore, carrying the Govern-
ment ammunition, with a barrel of about 28
inches long and about 8 to 9 lbs. weight, is a
8 SPORTING FIBE-ABMS.
more eflfeotive weapon. It should be sighted
to cany the ordinary express bullet with 95
grains (3J drs.) of powder, which is as much as
the Government (Martini- Henry) cartridge will
hold. With this charge it is very deadly; it
has a muzzle velocity of between 1,600 and
1,700 feet per second, and a practically point-
blank range of over 150 yards. It will shoot
very well with the Government ammunition,
the express bullet being substituted for the
heavy military one. It can also be used as a
long-range rifle with the ordinary military cart-
ridge and bullet, if combination sporting and
long-range sights are fitted.
If this rifle is .chambered for " express " ammu-
nition it will have a flatter trajectory; but the
advantage of having a rifle to carry the Govern-
ment cartridge is that this ammunition can
generally be cheaply and easily procured, espe-
cially by military men or volunteers abroad, and
no tools, except an express bullet-mould, or
not even that, if bullets are taken, are necessary.
For a breech action, any of the kinds that
give a clear view through the barrel, and admit
of cleaning fi'om the breech, such as the Field,
SPOUTING FIRE-ARMS. 9
Henry, &c., are preferable. The Lefaucheux
action, similar to that of shot-guns, is not recom-
mended for single rifles. It is not so quickly
loaded, and in cheap rifles is apt to get shaky
from heavy charges. It has the advantage of
allowing the barrel to be detached from the
stock, but this can be done in some of the other
kinds also.
Silver's " Transvaal " rifle is a cheap, light,
and handy weapon, useful, as its name implies,
in the Transvaal, and in other countries where
attendants to carry a second gun are not perhaps
usually available. It is on the Martini system,
but its barrel is detachable ; and a shot-barrel,
which can be carried in a case slung from the
saddle or shoulder, can be substituted for it
when necessary. Alexander Henry, and Frazer
of Edinburgh are also making single rifles on
the sliding-block system, with barrels to detach.
The stocks of these rifles could, of course, simi-
larly to Silver's, be fitted with shot-barrels.
For sport in South Africa, a double-barrelled
gun with one barrel smooth-bored and the other
rifled, called the " Cape gun," is to be seen at
gun-makers. The shot-barrel is generally 12-
10 SPORTING FIRE-ABMS.
bore, and the rifle-barrel carries either the ser-
vice '577 or '450 cartridges, or express ammu-
nition of any desired size. I do not recom-
mend this gun for India ; it is too clumsy and
heavy as a shot-gun, and when used as such it
has the disadvantage of being a single-barrel
only, and is not really necessary in that country,
where one can have plenty of attendants to carry
a spare gun. One of the disadvantages of this
gun is the chance of the wrong barrel being
fired by mistake when both are loaded.
The price of a Cape gun is £15 and upwards,
for which sum a good plain gun and a sporting
carbine can be bought.
It is at the best but a makeshift, but it would
be a more useful gun in some cases if both bar-
rels were of one gauge, say 12 -bore, and regu-
lated to shoot the same charge with a spherical
bullet. The price of a good single rifle is Jfrom
£8 upwards.
The Martini action is of advantage sometimes,
as regimental armourers of course understand it,
and can repair it very easily if it gets out of
order. It is, however, more clumsy to handle
than most others, being awkward in the grip,
SPORTING FIRE-ARMS. 11
and there is no half-cock, though a safety bolt
can be used, if fitted. The "Field," and some
other actions, can be cocked with the hammer as
well as by the opening of the breech, and can, of
course, be carried loaded at half-cock.
It will be found to be of great advantage to
have a Morris's tube, which carries a '230 C.F.
cartridge, fitted to a rifle. Its little bullet
shoots with great accuracy to a long range ;
it will, if properly directed, strike a 4-inch
bull's-eye every time at 100 yards. The tube
enables one to use the rifle for shooting small
animals, or for getting one's eye in at target
practice ; its price is from 25s. to 35s., and that
of the cartridges 2s. 6d. per hundred. It can
be fitted to any sized rifle or shot-gun, and with
the large bores a tube of '300 gauge, taking the
regular rook-rifle cartridge of this size, can be
used. A Morris's tube fitted to a rifle would
save one getting a rook rifle.
Repeating rifles also are cheap, and have the
advantage over single barrels of carrying several
charges. The commonest are the Winchester
•440 and '450 bores. The former has too light
a charge — 40 grains of powder (IJ drs.) and 200
12 SPORTING FIRE-ARMS.
grains bullet — to be an eflfective weapon, except
for small animals ; its trajectory, also, is, on
account of its small powder-charge, too high at
sporting ranges. The •460 Winchester, taking
75 grains of powder and a solid bullet of 360
grains, is a more powerful weapon ; it can with
advantage be used with the ordinary express
bullet. The "500 Winchester "express" is a
fairly good rifle, about equal in^power to a '450
Martini-Henry with express bullet. Its powder-
charge is 95 grains, and its bullet, of the usual
express shape, of 300 grains weight, which is,
however, rather too light for the size of the
bore, on account of its liability to be aflfected by
wind at ranges over 100 yards. The price of
repeating rifles is about £6 for the '440 and '460,
and £7 10s. for the '500 calibres ; higher prices
are charged for better finish, pistol-grip stocks,
&c. It would be as well, if a repeater is ordered,
to have its sights replaced by those of ordinary
English sporting pattern, a wide V and a bead.
There are two new patterns of repeating rifles
which have just been brought out in America,
which are superior to the Winchester '450 and
'500 bores in power and flatness of trajectory.
SPORTING FIRE-ARMS. 13
and can really be called "expresses." These
are the BuUard rifles, of which the '500 bore
takes a charge of 115 grains (4^ drs.) of powder^
and the '400 bore taking 90 grains (3^ drs.)»
The former of these, if otherwise as good as the
Winchester, will make a very useful " all-round '^
rifle, and the latter a capital rifle for antelope.
The BuUard resembles the Winchester in
appearance.
If the tyro is after dangerous game he should
not, if possible, trust to one rifle entirely, and
never to a single-barrelled one ; but should
have another . rifle, or a shot-gun loaded with
ball, as a reserve weapon to be used at close
quarters.
The 12-bore gun can be made to shoot ball
with sufficient accuracy up to 40 or 50 yards,
and its bullet is sufficiently heavy, when driven
writh a fairly heavy charge of powder, say 3^ ta
4 drs., to stop most animals.
14 SPOBTING FIRE-ARMS.
CHAPTER II.
The Care and Preservation of Fire-arms. — Their Gleaning
and Oiling. — The Examination and Cleaning of Locks.
— Their Dismounting and Putting together. — Polish-
ing of Stocks. — White Ants. — The Cleaning and
Ee-loading of Fired Cartridge-cases. — ^Brown-paper
Cartridge-cases.
Obeat care should be taken of guns, for not
only does their efficiency depend on the care
bestowed upon them, but they last so much
longer and are of so much greater money value
when they have been kept in good condition.
On the completion of a day's shooting the
arms used should be cleaned; the barrels of
double guns should be removed from the stocks,
and a piece of flannel, about three inches by
six in size, damped with water, should be placed
doubled over the jag of the cleaning rod, and
pushed through the barrels from breech to
SPORTING FIRE-ARMS. 15
muzzle till the fouling, which is generally caked
hard in hot or dry weather, is completely
removed. The damp flannel should then be
replaced by a dry one, and the barrels wiped
till thoroughly dry, when a well-oiled flannel
rag should be passed through them in the same
way. Rangoon oil is the best to use. Rifle-
barrels are cleaned in the same way ; the rag used
should be big enough to fit the bore tightly.
After the interior of the barrels are cleaned,
the actions, stock, &c. should be well wiped and
oiled, and then the gun may be put into its
case, or put togeth'er and placed in the rack.
If guns are kept in a rack a cloth thrown over
them will keep the dust off ; greased felt wads
put into the muzzles are good preservatives
against rust in damp weather.
Single-barrelled ^rifles should be cleaned in
the same way ; if possible from the breech end.
If they are cleaned from the muzzle end the
interior of the muzzle, which is the most im-
portant part of a rifle, on which its accuracy
chiefly depends, should be guarded by a brass
tube through which the rod can pass ; this pre-
caution is especially necessary if a metal rod is
16 SPORTING FIRE-ARMS.
used. Barrels when cleaned from the breech
should have their muzzles placed on a soft piece
of wood on the floor. Scratch-brushes should
not be used; they are apt to damage the
polished interior of barrels, and are injurious to
rifled ones especially. If scratch-brushes are
necessary in shot-guns, to remove leading,
brass ones are preferable to those of steel.
No emery or other powder should be used for
polishing the interior of the barrels or any other
part of a gun. The cleaning of guns is very
commonly entrusted to native servants; it is
much better, if one is really anxious to keep a
gun in good order, to clean it oneself ; the clean-
ing of a breech-loader is not a laborious process.
Great care should be taken not to place too
large a piece of rag on the rod for cleaning a
barrel, as it would be apt, especially if the rag
is not very evenly put on, to jam or stick in the
barrel ; and if in the thin part of a shot-barrel,
would almost certainly damage or bulge it in
the endeavours to push or pull it out. Should
a rag stick, it should be burnt out with a thick
red-hot wire.
The blocks and actions of single rifles will
SPORTING FIRE-ARMS. 17
occasionally require to be taken out and cleaned.
Most of them are simple enough ; they only
require to be wiped clean and oiled. The
Martini action, however, is more difficult for a
novice to take down ; the knack of doing it
should be learnt, as also that of dismounting
locks, from an armourer. In damp weather
guns should be looked at frequently and kept
well oiled to prevent rust. The old oil should
be wiped off before new oil is applied, to pre-
vent its caking. Locks require to be examined
two or three times a year. If they work stiffly,
they either require a little oiling, or are wood-
bound from the " side-nails " being too tightly
screwed in. If they are clogged by having had
too much oil put on them, which has dried and
hardened, it will be necessary to dismount and
clean them; the cleaning may sometimes be
effected well enough by means of a stiff brush,
which will save the trouble of dismounting them.
The taking down and cleaning of locks should,
as I have already said, be learnt from an
armourer or other competent person ; but the
following are the necessary directions for dis-
mounting an ordinary side-lock. The sketchy
2
18 SPORTING FIRE-ARMS.
Fig. 1, Plate I, represents an ordinary back-action
lock. A bar-lock is similar to it, but differs in
the position of the main-spring, which is in front
instead of behind.
1. Place the hammer at fuU cock.
2. Fix the cramp or vice on the main-spring,
disengage the sear nose from the notch
or " bent " of the tumbler, and the spring
can then be removed together with the
cramp or vice.
3. To remove the sear-spring, partly unscfew
the sear-spring pin, and place the end of
a small turnscrew between it and the
lock-plate, and prize it up till its ** stud"
is disengaged from the lock-plate, then
complete the unscrewing of the sear-
spring pin, and remove the spring from
the lock-plate.
4. Unscrew the bridle-pins and remove the
bridle and sear. '
5. Unscrew the tumbler-pin, which secures I
the hammer to the tumbler, and remove
the hammer. In doing this the lock- J
plate should be held in the hand, and
the hammer, resting in the palm, should
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SPORTING FIRE-ARMS. 19
be tapped on the inside with a piece of
wood till it comes off; the tumbler can
then be removed and the swivel disen-
gaged from it ; the lock is thus completely
dismounted.
To clean the parts of the lock each piece should
be well rubbed, first with a dry, and then
with an oiled rag, and all caked oil and dirt
carefully removed ; but no knife or steel
instrument should be used. A lock is put
together in the reverse order to that in which
it is dismounted ; to do so : —
1. Place the tumbler, in which the swivel has
been fixed, together with the sear, in
position with the lock-plate.
2. Replace the bridle and screw it home.
3. Fix the hammer in its proper place and
screw in the tumbler-pin.
4. Replace the sear-spring, partly screwing
in its pin, then force the sear-spring into
its proper place, bearing on the sear, with
the flat side of the blade of a tumscrew,
and when its stud engages in the catch
in the lock-plate, complete the screwing
in of its pin.
2 *
20 SPORTING FIRE-ARMS.
5. Replace the main-spring ; to do this the
claws of the main- spring should be made
to engage in the swivel of the tumbler,
the hammer being let down to the posi-
tion it would be in in resting on the
nipple of the gun. The stud of the main-
spring should then be made to engage in
its catch in the lock-plate ; the spring
is then in position, and on the hammer
being brought to "full cock '' the cramp
or vice can be removed. The lock is
then again in working order.
The following are the names of the parts
of the locks in the order they are dis-
mounted : —
1. Main-spring. 4. Bridle.
2. Sear-spring. 5. Hammer.
3. Sear, 6. Tumbler.
When the lock has been put together after
cleaning, it should be rubbed with an oiled rag,
and a small drop of oil should be put with a
quill feather, or fine camel-hair brush, or pin-
point, on all the parts of the lock which have
to bear Mction, The best machine or gun-oil
SPORTING FIRE-ARMS. 21
should be used for locks ; common oils get hard,
and clog the working parts of locks.
Stocks should be polished with an oiled rag
(linseed oil), and plenty of elbow-grease ; wax
and oil well rubbed in are also beneficial to
them.
In India white ant3 cause much trouble ; they
destroy all articles of soft wood, leather, cloth,
&c. which are not carefully protected from their
attacks. Gun-cases and all articles of the kind
should therefore be placed on bricks away from
th^ walls, which, being \%ry often of mud or
sun-dried bricks, are tunnelled in every direc-
tion by these insects. A little kerosine oil
poured on the floor is a good preventive for
white ants.
As cartridge-cases are expensive in India, and
other far-off countries, it will often be found
necessary to reload them. On uncapping the
cases the anvils should be put into a phial con-
taining a little vinegar, and shaken till quite
clean. Cap-chambers should be cleaned with
a. small pointed stick with a little piece of rag,
dipped in vinegar, twisted round it.
All brass cases, solid-drawn or coiled, should
22 SPORTING FIRE-ARMS.
be boiled in water, into which a piece of common
washing-soda has been thrown, and well cleansed
inside and out with a rag and stick after being
dried. They should be thoroughly dry before
being re-capped. The soda in the boiling water
will be found to be especially beneficial in remov-
ing verdigris and fouling from fired cartridge-
cases that have been kept some time since they
were used. Caps should be well pressed home ;
if they are not so, there will be danger of a pre-
mature explosion in closing the breech of the
gun, &c. Solid bra^ cases should be well
cleaned, outside as well as in, and may even be
polished outside with a little emery paste with
advantage. When it is necessary to swedge
them, the swedge should be well oiled to make
it work properly. Directions for swedging
cartridges should be obtained from the gun-
maker. Coiled cases can be used about three
times. Brown paper cartridges for shot-guns are
good enough in India except in rainy or damp
weather ; they stand reloading well, and are
much cheaper than the other qualities.
SPOBTING FIBE-ABMS. 28
CHAPTER III.
The Loads for Shot-guns. — Schultze Powder. — Kynoch's
Perfect Cases. — Sizes of Shot for various Game. —
The Loading of Spherical Ball Cartridges for Large-
bore Rifles and Shot-guns. — Buck-shot Cartridges.—
Express Eifle Cartridges. — Size of Grain of Gun*
powder. — Casting Bullets and Preparing them for
Use. — Advantage of HoUow-tronted Express Bullet
in Shooting in the *Open in a Populous Country. —
Machine-made Bullets. — Substituting Express BuUeta
for Military ones in the Martini-Henry Cartridge.
The charges of shot-cartridges vary according
to the purpose for which they are intended ; and
all guns do not shoot alike with the same
charges. " Wildfowler's " Table of Loads^ which
can be had for sixpence in a neat book form to
fit in a gun-case, gives a very good idea of the
charges of powder, wadding, and weight of shot
suitable for every class of gun and shooting.
From these tables it will be seen that to make
24 SPORTING FIBE-ARMS.
a gun throw close, thick wadding is required
over the powder, and thin wadding over the
shot, and the case not too much turned down ;
while, to make the charge scatter, less wadding
is required over the powder and a pretty thick
one over the shot, and the case well turned down.
In buying a gun it is as well to ascertain from
the maker the best charge to make it perform
well under all circumstances. In loading cart-
ridges in India or any hot climate, a grease-proof
wad should be placed between the powder and
greased felt wad, to prevent the grease from the
latter running into the powder and spoiling it
when melted by the heat ctf the sun. A thin
card wad between the grease wad and the shot
will prevent the latter sticking to it. Chilled
shot can now be obtained almost everywhere,
and give better results than soft shot, especially
in choke-bore guns.
Schultze powder is a good deal used in this
country for shot-guns, but I would not recom-
mend its use in India or other hot and dry
countries. It is seldom met with in India. It
is, as I will endeavour to explain, apt to be
very dangerous at times. It has the advantage
SPORTING FIRE-ARMS. 25
over black powder of causing less recoil and
smoke, and, when properly loaded, gives results
as good as, if not better than, black powder.
It has the disadvantage, however, in common
with other explosives of a similar nature, of not
always giving uniform results, and of occasion-
ally ** detonating " ; that is, its explosion is
sometimes a sudden and instantaneous one,
instead of one like that caused by the firing
of black powder, of which the gas exerts a
gradually increasing pressure. As the strain-
ing or bursting of a gun are likely to result
from the detonation of a cartridge, as can be
seen almost any day in the columns of sporting
papers, it is as well to be cautious in using
Schultze or similar powders. Detonation may
be caused by the excess of fulminate in the
priming of a cap, or by the powder being too
dry, or from other causes which do not afPect
black gunpowder, and I would advise the griff
or colonist to stick to the latter.
Kynoch's " perfect " cartridges are not suited
to guns bored for ordinary paper cases, as they
are of larger calibre in the interior by about two
sizes than paper ones ; a 12-bore Kynoch case
26 SPORTING FIRE-ARMS.
being really about 10 -gauge inside ; and as the
other wads, to fit it, have to be about 10-gauge,
it is a rather severe strain on the barrels of an
ordinary 12-bore (which are generally of nearly
13-gauge) to have these wads forced through
them.
Guns of about 12 -gauge to take Kynoch*s
cartridges should be chambered especially for
them, and take the No. 14 gauge case, with
which they are said to give better results than
guns of the same calibre with paper cartridges.
Guns can, however, be bored to take either the
Kynoch or an ordinary paper cartridge if
required, and shoot equally well with either.
This is effected by altering the shape of the
" cone " in front of the chamber of the cartridge,
converting it from a short into a long one, so
that the diameter of the bore decreases very
gradually instead of rather abruptly from the
chamber to the barrel. The thick Kynoch
special wad, which only should be used with this
description of cartridge, prevents any escape of
gas on the charge passing from the cartridge
into the barrel. Cardboard boxes containing
wads of all descriptions necessary for loading 500
SPORTING FIRE-ARMS. 27
cartridges can be had. They are most con*
venient.
Kynoch's cartridges are made of thin metal,
and are capable of reloading many times. They
are fer more easily reloaded than ordinary paper
cases; they require nothing but a rammer, or
even a stick, to push out the fired caps. As
Kynoch's cartridges, however, are not much
known in India, and are not yet easily obtained,
it will be better to have a gun to take the
ordinary paper case. With regard to the sizes
of shot. No. 8 or 9 do well for quail or snipe,
No. 6 or 6 for partridge, jungle-fowl, hares, teal,
&c.. No. 4 or 5 for duck, sand-grouse, &c. ; for
long shots, heavy shot are preferable. The right
barrel may, for many kinds of shooting, be
loaded with shot of a size or two smaller than
the left, which is generally the second barrel,
and is only used in case of a miss, and, of course,
at a longer range than the right.
The cartridge of the left, or second barrel,
should occasionally be examined and taken out
and used in the right barrel, as the continuous
firing of the right barrel sometimes starts the
wads of the left-barrel cartridge.
28 SPORTING FIBE-ABMS.
In loading ball cartridges for shot-guns (or
spherical ball large-bore rifle cartridges) the
bullet should be placed on the top of the greased
wad, and melted wax should be poured over it
to keep it secure. A little better shooting can
perhaps be obtained by placing a second wad, an
ordinary pink-edged or half thick greased felt,
with a hole punched out of its centre with a
'460 punch, over the thick felt one, to make a
good " seat " for the ball, and keep it steady in
its progress up the barrel.
For rifles, the bullet should be used naked,
and for most shot-guns a naked bullet is the
best, especially if it is cast in a mould especially
made for the gun ; but some prefer bullets for
use in shot-guns to be a trifle smaller than the
bore of the gun, and make up for the difierence
of size by placing the ball in a patch made of
linen cloth which is tied or sewn on, and lubri-
cated by being dipped in melted wax and fat, or
other lubricant.
No wad should be placed over the bullet, as
it is liable to jam in the barrel, and bulge
or burst it; and it is not necessary to turn
down the case, but the end can be pinched
SPORTING FIRE-ARMS. ' 29
in a little if the bullet shows signs of being
loose.
The charge of powder in a 12-bore shot-gun,
with ball, is from 3 to 4 drs. No. 6 grain.
When shot-gun cartridges are loaded with buck-
shot, the shot should be arranged in three or
four layers of three or four shot each. No wad
need be placed over the shot, but the case may
be slightly turned down, and a little melted wax
and tallow mixed should be poured over the
shot to keep them steady. The buck-shot
should be fitted to the gun, each layer should be
able to pass the muzzle without jamming, or
danger may arise, especially in a choke-bore.
To see if buck-shot fit in a gun, place a wad
about half an inch down the muzzle, and put a
layer of buck-shot on the wad. They should fit
easily to give satisfactory results. If buck-shot
fit too tightly in the choke of an ordinary choke-
bore gun, they are likely to carry away the end
of the gun, or strain it severely.
In loading express rifle cartridges, the powder
should be gradually poured in, the case being
gently tapped to make the powder settle down,
then a thin jute disc should be placed on the
30 SPORTING FIRE-ARMS.
powder, on this again a wax wad or a greased
felt one should be placed, then two jute discs,
and then the bullet. In putting in the bullet,
care should be taken that its paper wrapper or
" patch " is not cut, or torn, or rucked up by
the sharp mouth of the brass cartridge. Should
the mouth of the cartridge be jagged or uneven,
it should be carefully trimmed with scissors or
file, and slightly opened with the nozzle of a
powder-flask, to allow the bullet to go in easily.
The bullet should be put in perfectly even and
straight, and should be fixed in the case by
means of the "bullet fixer*' or '^ clencher/'
The powder-charges of rifle cartridges should be
ca'i'efuUy measured to get uniform results in shoot-
ing ; they are sometimes even weighed to grains.
The quality and size of grain of gunpowder are
of great importance, especially in rifle-shooting.
Large-grain powders burn slower and give more
uniform pressure in the bore than those of smaller
grain. The best sized grain for rifles is gene-
rally acknowledged to be for all calibres, from
the '360 to the 8-bore, the No. 6 grain of Curtiss
and Harvey's, John Hall and Son's "Field B,"
Pigou and Wilk's, or other good makers. For
SPORTING FIRE-ARMS. 31
4-bore rifles and large-bored wild-fowl guns
larger grain powder is used. No. 6 does very
well in the 12-bore shot-guns, but No. 5 or
4 (smaller grained powders) are better, and for
16 and 20 bore guns No. 4 is best.
In casting bullets the mould should be well
heated before the lead is poured in ; the lead
should be melted in a good large iron ladle
holding at least 7 or 8 lbs., and a little at
a time should be taken out of it, as required,
with a small iron ladle, which should be kept
at almost red heat. A drop or two of oil or
grease will clear the mould of dross, which
should be skimmed off the molten lead from
time to time. Old Martini- Henry bullets con-
tain a very good proportion of alloy, one thir-
teenth of tin, and are good material for express
and other bullets which require hardening.
The mould should be tapped against a piece
of wood, or struck with a wooden mallet, to
knock out the bullet after casting. It would
be spoilt by being knocked against a stone or
by being struck with a hammer or other metal
instrument. Native servants can do the casting
of bullets and other work well, but as they are
32 SPOETING FIRE-ABMS.
apt to be careless, they require good super-
vision.
Spherical bullets, after being cast, should be
trimmed smooth with a knife or file, and all
imperfect bullets of any kind should be melted
up again.
Express bullets should be passed through the
" bullet-corrector,*' which will bring them to
the proper gauge. The hollow front can be
filled up either with the copper tube, or with
wax, or soap, or a wood plug. The paper patch
should be wrapped round them in the direction
of the rifling (Plate II., Fig. 4) from left to right,
and should go round them exactly twice, as in
the Martini- Henry bullet ; this should be very
carefully done, or their accuracy will be affected.
The use of the paper patch is to interpose as a
shield between the bullet and barrel, and pre-
vent leading. If from being badly put on, or
any other cause, it gets rucked up on the bullet
leaving the cartridge on being fired, it will
cause inaccurate shooting. It is torn off by
the grooves of the rifling, and does not accom-
pany the bullet on its flight. The tail end
of the paper should, after being twisted close to
SPORTING FIRE-ARMS. 33
the base of the bullet, be cut off, and the bullet
should, after being heated near a fire, be dipped
in raelted wax for about a third of an inch from
its base ; any surplus wax should then be care-
fully scraped off.
Some express bullets are not intended to be
patched, but have two or three cannelures to
carry lubrication ; they should, after being cast,
be dipped in melted wax, or, in cold climates,
in a mixture of wax and tallow, up to the top
cannelure from the base, the surplus lubrication
being then taken off by the "bullet corrector,"
through which the bullets should be passed.
They are made of slightly greater diameter than
patched bullets of the same calibre, to make up
for the difference of the thickness of the paper
patch (see Plate IL, Figs. 1 and 2).
For shooting in the open in India, solid
bullets should not ordinarily be used. The
hollow-fronted express ball is far more effective
for most purposes, as will be explained here-
after, and solid bullets have a long range even
after grazing, and much danger attends their
use in a country like India, where so many
natives are almost always within rifle-shot,
3
34 SPORTING FIRE-ARMS.
especially in places where the black buck ante-
lope is to be found. The course of solid conical
bullets, after grazing, is most erratic. Express ,
bullets with hollow fronts break up on striking
the ground, and do not travel far.
Machine-made bullets are preferable when
very accurate shooting, as in target-practice or
match- shooting, is desired. They are not cast,
but are made in a die ; and, being of compressed
metal, are of more uniform density and weight.
To replace the military bullet in a Martini-
Henry cartridge by an express one, fix the
bullet of the cartridge in a vice, and, seizing the
cartridge firmly with the hand, draw it steadily
away from the bullet, which will be left in the
vice ; in this way the cartridge-case will not be
put out of shape or damaged. The express
bullet can then be put in, and the mouth of the
cartridge smoothed down on it. If more pow-
der is required, the wads should be taken out
with a corkscrew (or, if they have to be replaced,
with a penknife, very carefully, so as not ta
spoil them), and a half-drachm of powder can
then be added to the charge, when the wads and
express bullet can be put in in the usual way*
SPORTING FIRE-ARMS. 35
To smooth down the mouth of the case it
should, after the bullet is placed in it, be rolled
on a table, a flat ruler being at the same time
pressed on it.
The regulation powder-charge of the M.H.
cartridge is 85 grs. or about 3| drs. ; it will hold
almost 100 grs. if the powder is well tapped in.
36 SPORTING FIRE-ARMS.
CHAPTER IV.
Eemarks on Light-weight Small-bore Guns and their
Advantages. — Large-bore Wild-fowl Guns. — Extra
Barrels for Wild-fowl Guns for Ball.-The -500
Double Express the best " all round " Eifle. — Double
and Single Eifles. — Bad shooting qualities of inferior
Double Eifles. — Long-range Shooting with Double
Eifles. — Price of Double Eifles. — Extra Shot-barrels
for Double Eifles.
In the first chapter I mentioned a 12 -bore gun
and a single or repeating rifle as being the best
battery for a man of limited means; but, of
course, there are plenty of other guns and rifles
which are far better adapted to the various
kinds of sport to be obtained in India and else-
where, and sporting weapons should, as far as
possible, be chosen to suit the game against
which they are to be used.
The weight of a shot-gun is a matter of some
SPORTING FIRE-ARMS. 37
consideration in India and other hot countries,
where every ounce of extra weight is a nuisance ;
and for all purposes except for throwing ball or
buckshot, or for wild-fowl shooting, the 16 or
20 gauge will be found quite powerful enough.
They have, saving the occasional difficulty of
obtaining ammunition for them, great advantage
over the 12-bore in weight and in recoil.
I used a 20-bore full choke for years in India,
with quite as good results as the 12-bore,
compared with which it seemed as light as a
toy, while its recoil was nothing in comparison
with that of the latter, which, to me, was a
most punishing one. There was a great saving
in ammunition also with this gun, as the cart-
ridges were loaded usually with 2 drs. powder
and f oz. shot, against 3 drs. and 1^ oz. of the
12-bore, so that a pound of powder, an expensive
article in India, loaded 120 cartridges against
only 80 of the 12-bore.
A choked small-bore gun, however, is not
recommended for a beginner, as its killing circle
is very small, and it requires very straight
holding. It would be better to have the right
barrel cylinder, and the . left modified choke.
88 SPORTING FIRE-ARMS.
The 20-bore gun I have alluded to was one of
Bland's "keeper's" guns, and though of very
plain finish, and not of very good quality as
regards the locks, was a hard-hitting little gun.
Light weight can be combined with a large
bore as in Turner's ** feather-weight " 12 -bore
gun, which weighs only 6 lbs., whilst his 16 and
20 bore guns of this description weigh only 5J
and 5 lbs. respectively. Of course, in districts
where wild-fowl shooting is to be had, a large-
bore gun of 10, 8, or 4 bore would be a very
useful weapon; but it is not everywhere that
guns of this kind, which may be classed as
special ones, are needed. It would be a very
useful thing, if a big-bore gun is taken for
wild-fowl shooting, to have an extra pair of
short, heavy cylinder-bored barrels fitted, to
be used with ball. The gun would then make
a good reserve weapon for heavy or dangerous
game. A 10 or 8 bore bullet is- a very effec-
tive one at close quarters for any kind of animal.
With regard to rifles, if only one rifle can be
afforded, and the expense of a double rifle is not .
too great, I think the '500 double express the
best all-round rifle for every kind of shooting.
SPORTING FIRE-ARMS. 39
It is of moderate weight, and though powerful
enough to kill almost any animal except the thick-
skinned or heavy-boned ones of large size, it will
not knock an antelope or small deer to pieces.
I have hitherto only mentioned single rifles
and repeaters, but the double barrel is, I think,
far preferable for Indian shooting at any rate,
or for sport anywhere among dangerous game.
Single-barrelled rifles are best for accurate
shooting at long ranges, but a good double
barrel will shoot well enough to 200 yards for
all sporting purposes. A good one when held
straight will put all its shots into a 6-inch circle
at 100 yards, and is almost as accurate at 150
yards. Before purchasing a double rifle it should
be tested at a target by a good shot to find out
whether both barrels throw accurately with the
same sighting at all sporting ranges ; inferior
double rifles very commonly cross their shots,
the right barrel throwing to the left, and vice
versdy or sometimes one barrel throws higher
than the other. The crossing of shots is not a
very bad fault at very short ranges, but becomes
a serious one at the longer ones, as will be seen
from the following instances.
40 SPORTING FIRE-ARMS.
1 once tried a double 12-bore rifle by a very-
good maker, which shot very well at forty yards,
the right-barrel bullet striking the left edge of
an ordinary square envelope every shot at that
distance, the left-barrel bullet striking it in the
centre, the two bullets being about two inches
apart. At 100 yards, however, while the left
barrel put shot after shot into a 4-inch circle,
the right barrel invariably sent its bullet more
than fifteen inches to the left of the mark; and
when aimed about that distance to the right of
it^ invariably struck it. The shooting of the
right barrel could have been improved by
moving the sight a little to the right ; but the
improvement would have been to the disad-
vantage of the left barrel, the shooting of which
would in the same ratio have deteriorated.
Another case of a similar kind was that of a
•500 double express rifle, both barrels of which
shot fairly well to 100 yards, putting their shots
into or near an 8-inch circle ; at 150 yards the
bullets of the right barrel formed a group eight
or nine inches to the left of the mark, while
those of the left barrel formed a group at a
similar distance to its right. At 200 yards the
SPORTING FIRE-ARMS. 41
right barrel threw two feet to the left, and the
left barrel two feet to the right, which shooting
would, at these distances, have rendered the
rifle utterly useless in the hands of anyone,
however good a shot, for all sporting purposes.
At the target, however, this rifle performed very
well, and won prizes in matches for double
rifles.
As it is impossible to have a double rifle to
shoot exactly alike with both barrels at the longer
ranges, say from 200 yards upwards, the leaf of
the sight for 200 yards and longer distances
should have its notch cut to suit only one of the
barrels, whichever it may be preferred to use^
at long distances.
The worst fault, that of one barrel throwing
higher than the other, occurred in a double '500
express rifle by a reputedly good London maker
(it was not a cheap rifle either). On its trial at
the range in India, one barrel was found to throw
about a foot higher than the other at 100 yards.
I have mentioned these cases to show what
necessity there is for having the shooting of
double rifles tested on the target, for an inferior
rifle can be made to perform very well and make
42 SPORTING FIRE-ARMS.
an excellent diagram of its shooting in the hands
of an expert who is acquainted with its pecu-
liarities, and yet be, for all practical purposes,
utterly useless in the field. The only true test
of the shooting of a double rifle is to have it shot
by a good marksman who has had no previous
acquaintance with, or interest in, the weapon.
The time and labour involved in putting
together the barrels of double rifles so as to
make them shoot correctly, to say nothing of
the expenditure of ammunition in testing their
shooting, is very costly, and good double rifles
-cannot on this account be had cheaply. It is
better far to get a good single rifle, and trust
to the double gun loaded with ball as a re-
serve weapon, than to get a cheap and inferior
•double rifle, if the high price of a good one is
beyond one's means. A very good double rifle
can be got for £25. I had one by Thomas
Turner, a plainly finished '450, which shot with
great accuracy to 200 yards, the cost of which
with case and fittings was under £30.
For certain purposes it would be found useful
to have a pair of shot-barrels fitted to the stock
of a double rifle, say of 20-bore for a '500
4
I
SPORTING FIRE-ARMS. 43
express. A rifle thus fitted would serve the
same purposes as the " Transvaal " rifle, which
I have already mentioned, and would be useful
in a trip in the hills in India where one does
not want to be encumbered with unnecessary
baggage, and where a shot-gun is only occasion-
ally necessary.
44 SPORTING FIRE-ARMS.
CHAPTER V.
Express Eifles. — Object of the Express system. — Its Flat
Trajectory and Velocity. — The '450 Express and
Martini-Henry Rifles compared. — Advantage of Ex-
press Rifles in shooting at Moving Animals. — Table
showing Weights, Charges, &c. of the various Express
Rifles in use. — The new Government experimental
•400 .Rifle. — The Marlin-Ballard Repeating Rifle, and
another Repeater of the same calibre. — Advantage*
and Disadvantages of Repeating Rifles. — The " Quick-
loader." — Moderate Charges best for most purposes
in Rifles. — The Shooting of Rifles affected by the
Style of Action with which they are fitted. — ^^Recoil. —
Weight in a Rifle necessary to counteract Recoil. —
Weight as a Steadier of the Nerves. — " Buck Fever.'*
Rifles should be chosen, as far as one's means
allow, to suit the work for which it is intended
to use them. Rifles on the express system are
the best adapted for shooting all kinds of the
smaller animals, and all large game of the thin^
skinned kind, and have of late years almost
SPORTING FIRE-ARMS. 45
entirely superseded the large-bores for these pur-
poses.
I will now discuss the special merits of the
express rifle for sporting purposes.
All projectiles, it is well known, are subject
to the law of gravity, and begin to fall, imme-
diately they leave the muzzle, at a quickly in-
creasing rate ; the fall in the first second of their
flight being 16 feet, in the second 48 feet, and
so on. If, therefore, a rifle be aimed direct at
any object, without any elevation being given
to it to counteract the eff^ects of the force of
gravity, its projectile must fall below it.
In the diagram. Fig. 7, Plate II., a rifle is
shown with sufficient elevation given to it to
enable it to throw its bullet to the mark b-, it is
in reality pointed to a spot a long way above b ;
if it were directed straight at it the bullet would,
on account of the action of gravity, fall a long way
below b. (Of course the heights in the diagram are
exaggerated as compared with the distances.)
The express system, however, gives its projec-
tile such high speed up to the limits of sporting
ranges that it falls comparatively very little
during its flight, and requires very little eleva-
46 SPORTING FIRE-ARMS.
tion at these distances to enable it to reach its^
mark. A rifle which requires less elevation than
another to enable it to throw its projectile to a
certain distance is said to have a " flatter trajec-
tory " than the other. Express rifles have practi-
cally a flat trajectory up to 150 to 200 yards, so
that within these distances the sportsman has the
advantage of not requiring to judge the exact
distance of his game, but may aim at it with
one sight " fine or full," whether it be, say, 50
yards off or 150. The trajectory is the curved
path taken by the bullet in its flight through
the air, and is best described by the diagram
(Fig. 7, Plate II.) The flat trajectory of express
rifles is due to the high speed of their projectiles,
and this high speed is obtained by the use of
powder-charges which are very heavy in com-
parison with the weight of the projectiles. The
weight of the powder-charge is from one-third
to upwards of one half of that of the bullet, the
speed of which varies, according to the charge,
from 1,600 to about 2,000 feet per second on
leaving the muzzle of the rifle. The speed at
the muzzle is called initial, or muzzle velocity.
The bullet of a good express rifle rises so little
SPORTING FIRE-ARMS. 47
above, or falls so little below the line of sight
(which is a perfectly straight one) up to about
150 to 200 yards, that the rifle may be said to
have a practically point-blank range up to these
distances. The high speed of a light express
bullet is not kept up for any great distance, it
very rapidly diminishes, while a heavy long-
range bullet like that of the Martini- Henry ^
though it starts with far less initial velocity,
does not lose its speed at anything like the
same rate ; for instance, a 274-grain bullet fired
from a '450 express rifle with a muzzle velocity
of 2,000 feet per second, loses nearly 600 feet
in the first 150 yards of its flight. Its speed at
that distance is only 1,439 feet per second, while
a 480-grain bullet from a Martini- Henry rifle,
starting with a muzzle speed of 1,315 feet per
second, loses only 21 1 feet in the same distance,
its speed being 1,104 feet per second at 150
yards.
The trajectory of the heavy bullet, however,
is very inferior to that of the light one, its height
at the highest point of the curve, when fired at
a mark at 150 yards distance, being nearly 7
inches, against about 3^ inches in the light
48 SPORTING FIRE-ARMS.
express bullet. The "striking energy" of the
two bullets with the above muzzle velocities at
100 yards is for the '450 express 1,578 foot-
pounds^ and of the M.H. 1,450 .foot-pounds.
At 150 yards the striking energy of each is
1,258 and 1,297 foot-pounds respectively.
These facts, which are taken from reports on
the trials of sporting rifles published in the
Field of the 8th September 1883, are given
to show the comparative qualities of the express
and long-range rifles of the same calibre.
From this, I think that the '450 express bullet
of 320 grains, though it would, to a slight extent,
have a more curved trajectory at a short range,
and give a little more recoil than that of
270 grains, would be superior to the latter in
striking energy or power, and would be more
suitable to rifles of this size capable of taking the
heavier charges. The high-speed express bullet
has a great advantage over one possessing low
speed when used for shooting running animals ;
for, besides its flatter trajectory, it takes less time
in its flight to reach its object, and less allowance
need be made on that account for a crossing shot.
The time of flight of a '450 express bullet with
SPORTING FIRE-ARMS. 49
2,000 feet per second muzzle velocity is 0*1309
seconds at eighty yards, while that of the Martini-
Henry, with 1,315 f.s. M.V., is 0*1911 seconds
at the same distance. However, I will touch
again on this subject later on.
I will now describe the power of the various
kinds of express rifles, which can best be shown
in the following tabular form : —
4
m
mi
i (Kjii i is! ill I
111 ■111
ii
iBiift ■
j ■ 1 I .
IB
!
ii
f
iff
SPORTING FIRE-ARMS. 51
In some Express rifles it seems to me that too
much is sacrificed to obtain an extremely flat
trajectory. The 180-grain bullet, for instance,
in the '400 Express, though it has a very flat
trajectory, has probably not the striking energy
of the heavier 220-grain bullet, and even in the
matter of trajectory beyond, say, 100 yards, will
not, on account of its velocity being not so well
sustained as that of the heavier ball, hold its
own against the latter.
The new Grovernment experimental rifle,
which is in time, in all probability, to supersede
the present Martini-Henry, will, I think, when
suitably stocked and sighted, be a very good
small-game rifle. It is of '400 calibre, and its
charge of powder is 85 grains in a solid -drawn
long taper case. Its projectile weighs 400
grains. Its rifling is not on the Henry system,
and has a spiral of one turn in fifteen inches.
Its weight as a military arm is about 9 lbs., or a
Kttle heavier than the Martini-Henry, and its
breech action is the same as that of the present
arm. Its accuracy is far better than that of the
Martini-Henry, and its M.V. being 1,575 f.s.
against about 1,350 of the present service rifle,
4 *
62 SPOBTING FIRE-ARMS.
its trajectory is far flatter. Its extreme range
is about the same as that of the service arm,
about 3,600 yards. Its velocity, as reported, is
surprisingly high for the proportion the powder
charge bears to the bullet, 1 to 4*7, and in spite
of its quick spiral ; it is practically an "express"
velocity, and its bullet being heavy for its calibre
compared with an express bullet of the same
calibre, which weighs from 180 to 220 grains,
its velocity will be far better sustained in flight
than that of the light bullet, and will have a
flatter trajectory, even at sporting ranges.
This rifle, as it has such speed and flat trajec-
tory with a heavy bullet, would do even better
with a lighter bullet for sporting purposes,
weighing say from 250 grains as a hoUow-
fronted, to 320 grains as a solid ball ; its M.V.
would be even higher, and would be sustained
well enough up to sporting ranges.
Mr. Thomas Turner, whose name as rifle-
maker is well known in India, tells me he has
already made some "400 sporting rifles on the
general plan of the Government experimental
one, as regards the barrel, &c., and in accuracy
and flatness of trajectory, both with heavy
SPORTING FIEE-ARMS. 53
and express bullets, they give most excellent
results.
Another rifle, which has only recently come
into use, is, I think, well suited for antelope
shooting. It is the Marlin -Ballard repeating-
rifle of '400 calibre, carrying 60 grains of pow-
der in a straight taper case, and a solid bullet
of 260 grains. A lighter express bullet could
be used, say the 180 or 220 grain one, and its
M.V. would be, with the former upwards of
1,660 feet, and with the latter nearly 1,600 feet
per second, or about the same as that of a light
charge express. It is in appearance much the
same as the Winchester, and the mode of jjirork-
ing it the same, but the breech mechanism
differs. It may be made with a half magazine
like the Winchester to carry four or five shots,
and its price is about £8 or £9 with loading
tools. Of its accuracy, as it has the Ballard
barrel, there can be little doubt.
Another repeater of '400 bore is mentioned
by a correspondent of an American sporting
paper, the Forest and Stream^ as being perfected
and likely to be shortly advertised for sale. Its
charge is 90 grains of powder with a 270-grain
54 SPORTING FIRE-ARMS.
bullet ; it will therefore be quite an express in
power and flatness of trajectory.
These two rifles will, in point of flatness of
trajectory, have great advantages over the
repeaters generally in use, the '440 and '450
calibres, taking 40 and 75 grains of powder, and
200- and 360-grain bullets respectively.
As to the general question of what advantage
the repeater has over the single rifle, it is capable
of being fired far quicker until its magazine is
emptied, when it can be used as a single loader
like any other breech-loader. It has also the
advantage that the magazine can be filled and
shut q£E, and so held in reserve, the rifle in the
meanwhile being used as a single loader.
The disadvantage of repeaters is that they are
complicated, and, according to some accounts,
far more likely to get out of order than single
loaders, though there is plenty of testimony
that they can stand any amount of rough
usage in every climate.
I take the following account from a letter to
the Forest and Sti^eam^ dated 10th January,
1883 :—
" Most of the guns were carried slung to the
SPORTING FIRE-ARMS. 65
saddle-horn, muzzle downward. During the
night which ended our fourth day's march, one
of the men who carried a magazine rifle dis-
covered that it would not work. His announce-
ment caused others with similar arms to examine
their condition, and the result was that not one
magazine rifle was in a condition to be fired a
single time in any emergency. The jolting
had imbedded the cartridges into each other,
point on butt, to such an extent that the
machinery was completely and most effectually
disabled."
Of course, carrying a repeater for days with
its magazine loaded is a trial that no sporting
arm is at all likely to be subjected to, but I
mention the case to illustrate one of the possible
defects of the repeating system. It is, however,
only fair to insert the following extract from
another letter to the same paper on this sub-
ject : —
" I must say a few words in defence of the
magazine guns, Winchester especially, in reply
to W. N, B. in your issue of the 10th. I have
carried a Winchester full of cartridges as a saddle
gun since 1871, ridden always with cartridges
56 SPOBTING FIBE-ARMS.
in it, and never had it to fail me but once, and
then I got a "45 calibre Colt's pistol cartridge
into the chamber by accident. I have been in
lota of tight places, and my Winchester has
always pulled me through."
A possible danger in a repeater is to be ex-
pected from the premature firing of a cartridge
in the magazine, which would probably cause
the loss of the left hand. This may be due to
the action of the spiral spring of the magazine,
or to recoil from the firing of a shot in the
barrel. The cartridges are placed in Indian file
in the magazine-tube, the bullet of one resting
against the breech end of the other ; and an
over-sensitive cap, or a cap not properly pressed
home, may be fired by the pressure or jolting
of the bullet of the next cartridge. It is there-
fore important in recapping repeating rifle
cartridges to press the cap well into the cap-
chambers. Such cases of premature explosion
of cartridges in the magazine are stated to have
actually occurred during the trial of repeating
rifles by the United States Ordnance Department
some little time ago, though not in Winchester
rifles, which did not compete.
SPORTING FIRE-ARMS. 57
A minor disadvantage of the repeater — and
this would not be so much felt in a half-magazine
arm — is that the balance of the rifle is altered
as the magazine is emptied. Repeaters, in the
matter of accuracy are, as is well known, as good
as any other single rifles.
The act of working the lever in a rifle like
the Winchester may have an unsteadying effect
on the nerves on account of the muscular effort
required to " pump " in the cartridges ; the
second barrel of a double rifle has a great
advantage in this respect. When the " Quick-
loader," with which it is said the new experi-
mental rifle is supplied, is adopted for sporting
rifles, they will be almost equal to the repeaters
in rapidity of fire, with none of their compli-
cations. For most purposes, the use of moderate
charges will be found sufficient. Heavy charges
give a flatter trajectory and greater power to the
ball than light ones, it is true, but more vibration
and recoil attend their use. The *' bottle" form
of cartridge, which is necessitated by heavy
charges, has, I believe, a slightly deterrent effect
on accuracy, by giving increased recoil and
making the barrel "jump." It is not used in
58 SPORTING FIRE-ARMS.
the best match-rifles, where accuracy is the
chief object ; nor is it, I believe, adopted in the
new Government rifle. The kind of action
fitted to a rifle has, I believe, something to *
-do with its shooting and sighting, though why
it should do so, unless recoil afifects diflfe-
rent actions in different ways, I do not under-
stand. ^
I once had a '450 Henry barrel chambered
for the Martini-Henry ammunition fitted to a
Snider breech-action. It shot extremely well
with 100 grains powder and 270-grain express
bullet. As, however, the Snider breech-action
was unsatisfactory, I replaced it by a Martini
action. On trying the rifle, the barrel of which
was of course unaltered, at the range with the
new action, it threw about a foot lower at every
range, with the same ammunition, than it did
before. This defect was cured by having a
higher back-sight put on. The accuracy was
otherwise quite as good with the Martini as with
the Snider action. A heavy man can stand more
recoil and shaking, and shoot steadily under it,
than a light man, and everyone ought to take
his own weight and physique into consideration
SPORTING FIRE-ARMS.
59
in selecting a rifle. Recoil is not felt when
shooting at game like it is at target practice,
but it undoubtedly affects accuracy, especially if
the shooter is lightly built. The recoil of a
•450 express with the heavy charge and light
bullet is no greater than that of the Martini-
Henry of the same calibre with its comparatively
small charge and heavy bullet.
The following table shows the recoil of some
of the rifles of Holland's make at the field-rifle
trials in October 1883 : —
Bifle.
Weight
of
Weight
Weight
Proportion
of
Powder
to Lead.
Becoil
in
Proportion
of Weight of
Lead
Sifle.
Powder.
Bullet.
Pounds.
to Weigjit of
Bifle.
Lbs. Oz.
Grs.
Grs.
•400
7 14
82
219
1 to 2-66
71
1 to 251
•450
8 4
110
291
1 to 2-72
96
1 to 198
12-bore
13 8
191
583
1 to 306
141
1 to 162
10-bore
12
223
700
1 to 3-12
163
1 to 120
From the above it will be seen that to meet the
recoil of heavy charges the weights of rifles
have to be increased ; but even then, in the
larger calibres, the weight of the projectile bears
a larger proportion to the weight of the rifle
than in small bores* It is curious, in the
60 SPORTING FIRE-ARMS.
example just given, that Messrs. Holland and
Holland's 12 -bore is heavier than the 10.
A '450 rifle, to take the light charge of 95
grains and 270-grain bullet, can be made as
light as 7 lbs., though it will give better
shooting with a pound more weight.
Rifles should not be too light. I once ex-
perienced very severe recoil from a '500 express
single rifle, made to order by a very eminent
maker, the weight of which was only 7 J lbs. ;
it should have been about 2 lbs. heavier for its
charge of 5 drs. A fairly light rifle is of
advantage when one has to carry it oneself f
a heavy one is apt to be out of the way when
wanted, as it tempts one to hand it over to
an attendant to be carried ; but, as I have already
said, the weight of a rifle, which to a great
extent depends on its charge, should be suited
to one's strength. Weight has a steadying
efiect on a man's nerves when he is breathless
and excited after a long tramp or stalk after
game. It is wonderful how easy it is to misa
even a standing shot at a buck or other animal
when one is in this state ; even at the shortest
range it is very different to firing at a target.
SPORTING FIRE-AEMS. 61
The Yankees call this state of excitement
^*Buck fever," I believe, and beginners are
very apt to be attacked by it. The only
remedy for it is to take plenty of time to
steady oneself, and not to shoot till one has
fairly well calmed down and feels pretty certain
of hitting ; for, not to mention the disappoint-
ment of a miss, a badly placed hit only wounds
and causes unnecessary pain.
62 SPORTING FIRE-ARMS.
CHAPTER VI.
Effects of Express Projectiles on Game. — ^A Description
of the various Express Projectiles. — The Object of
Rifling. — The Degree of Spiral in various Rifles. —
Length of Barrels. — Remarks on the different Forms
of Grooving. — The Gaining Twist. — Hardened Bullets
for Small Bores.
1 will now describe the effects on game of the
express projectile. The ordinary express hollow-
fronted bullet, on striking an animal, after
passing through its skin, opens out like a mush-
room, and, if the range has been short and speed
high, it flies all to pieces inside, cutting and
tearing everything to pieces with its fragments,
and, in the case of the smaller animals, causea
immediate death by the shock. The fragments
of the bullet rarely pass through the animal, and
there is only one hole in the skin, at the
entrance of the bullet. If the speed is lower^
SPORTING FIRE-ARMS. 6S
or a small charge is used, the penetration will
be greater, as the bullet will not open out so
much. At a long range of 200 yards I have
known an ordinary Eley's express bullet with
copper tube, of '450 bore and 270 grains weighty
propelled by 120 grains of powder, to pass com-
pletely through a black buck antelope without
apparently opening out at all. It, however,
met with no bones in its course. On heavy
animals with big bones, especially those with
a tough or thick skin, the hollow-fronted express
bullet is not at all eflfective, as it expends its
whole energy in penetrating the skin and in
smashing itself up on the surface or against a
bone, causing an ugly-looking but not neces-
sarily fatal wound. In the case of animals of
this kind great penetration is required, and
express bullets should, to possess the necessary
penetrative power, be hardened, an alloy of one-
thirteenth to one-tenth of tin being used. They
should have a smaller-sized hollow in their
front, or, in the case of some animals, as, for
instance, bison, be made altogether solid.
Express bullet-moulds should be provided
with plungers of two or three different sizes,
64 SPOBTING FIBE-AEMS.
•or with adjustable plungers, by which the size
of the hollow front can be regulated as desired,
or the bullet cast solid. In the case of an ex-
press bullet with a hollow of reduced size, the
heavy solid base end will travel on and pene-
trate and smash everything in its way, even when
its hollow front is left in fragments near its
■entrance into the animal's body.
Solid conical bullets for sporting purposes
should not be too pointed, an almost flat or
hemispherical end is better adapted for inflicting
a deadly wound than a sharp, conical point.
The pointed bullet has, it is true, greater
penetration, but it is easily deflected from its
course on meeting with a bone or other hard
substance. The sharp -pointed, solid conical
bullet, especially if hardened so as to preserve
its shape, displaces rather than cuts up the flesh
and muscles, and the wound closes up again, so
that bleeding is checked. These remarks apply
to large-bore as well as small-bore rifles.
The various bullets are shown in Plate II.
Fig. 1. — Section of cannelured express bullet.
Fig. 2. — Section of ordinary express bullet.
Fig. 3. — The same patched and ready for use.
Pin
3 f
*^':..:.^
V
^ 3 « 'fC '^ .^
'§
K
i^*? V
s^t1 !f -?>i2 V
« ^ - ^
.^>
^ ^^> .^ F? JJ ^^ ?J "
n:;
V C^ 54 N ^ ^fci t}5 ^5 ,<i nTJ
J« -I^ si
y> Ki ^
t^
ts ^ ^ ^$'^:S
^-^^ ^ u ^ ^
W
Pi.m
/k.!Cf,r,i,l^ll,, ^fif,,
% ij-
l-.^rge here luUtt^
,V/)^^(v«;
SPORTING FIRE-ARMS. 66
Fig. 4. — Shows the way in which the patch-
paper is wrapped round the bullet.
Fig. 5. — Lord Keane's sectional bullet.
Fig. 6. — The same partially opened out at the
point to show the cross-cuts.
Plate III., Figs 1 and 2. — Side and end views
of ordinary express bullets after striking
with medium velocity.
Fig. 3 . — Section of express bullet with reduced
hollow.
Fig. 4. — Solid express bullet after striking.
Fig. 5. — Solid base end of express bullet with
reduced hollow after striking.
Lord Keane's sectional bullet is divided into
four pieces from its point to about a third of its
length by a cross-cut ; it is supposed to have
much the same effect as an ordinary express
bullet, but ib weighs about the same as a solid
ball of the same size. The ordinary Martini-
Henry bullet can be made into a most effective
projectile for dangerous animals by being cross-
cut with a fine tenon-saw at its point in the same
way as Lord Keane's bullet (see Fig 6, Plate
III.), the point being dipped in melted wax to
fill up the cuts. It will then combine the expan-
5
66 SPORTING FIBE-AKMS.
m
sive effect of the express bullet with great pene-
tration. The cuts should be about half an inch
deep.
As most express rifles are intended to shoot
only express buUets, which are usuaUy compara-
tively short ones of about two diameters in length,
they are rifled with only a sufficient spiral to suit
these short bullets, and if long bullets, such as
the Martini-Henry, of about three diameters in
length, are fired out of them they will not shoot
straight, as the bullet will not keep point for-
most in its flight, but turn over and go side-
ways.
The object of rifling is to give a rotatory
motion or "spin " to the bullet, which has the
^fEect of keeping it point foremost during its
flight, and gives it great accuracy. Rifling also
has the same effect on a spherical bullet which
is fired from a barrel which it fits properly ; the
^' spin " keeps the end of it, which was at the
front in starting, in that position during its whole
flight. Of course the conical bullet has the
advantage over the spherical of the same weight
of offering a smaller resisting surface to the air.
The finer-pointed bullets are slightly better for
SPOBTIKa FIBE-ABMS.
67
r
accuracy than blunt or round-ended ones, but
are not so eflPective for sporting purposes.
The degree of spiral necessary to spin a bullet
varies according to its length, and to some ex-
tent to the velocity of its flight. The highest
speed express rifles, using also, of course, the
heaviest powder-charges, require a less rapid
spiral than those with less velocity. The fol-
lowing table will show to some extent the degree
of spiral of some of the rifles in use.
Bifle.
Weight of
Bullet In
Grains.
Approximate
Length of
Bullet in
Diameters.
Spiral, one complete
Turn.
In Inches.
In Calibres.
•400 Experi-
mental Govern-
ment ....
400
3i
16
37-5
•460 M.H. . . .
480
3
22
.48^8
•450 Express . .
270
2
35 to 46*
77^7 to 100*
12-bore (•760) .
680 spherical
800* conical
1 spherical
to about
H conical*
90 to 120*
120 to 160*
Eifles with a sharp spiral can shoot short
express bullets well; the Martini-Henry, for
instance, does so, but the slower spiral is better
adapted for high velocities, as there is less loss
of power from friction. There is also the chance,
Approximate.
68 SPOBTINa FIBE-ABMS.
if a light bullet is fired out of a sharp-twist rifle
with a very heavy charge, that it will " strip '^
or pass out of the grooves, and, of course, have
an erratic flight. Long barrels give higher velo-
cities than short ones with similar charges ; the
slight advantage, however, of a little increased
velocity is counterbalanced by the unhandiness
of a long barrel.
In the experiments of the United States Go-
vernment, their service rifle with a barrel of
32 inches gave 100 feet per second higher
velocity than the carbine taking the same ammu-
nition, the barrel of which was 22 inches long.
The M.V. of the rifle was 1,350 f.s. against
1,250 of the carbine, the charge being 70 grains
of powder and 405 grains of lead. The spiral of
both was the same, one turn in 22 inches and the
calibre '450. About 26 inches for double, and
28 inches for single rifles is the best length for
barrels.
There are various forms of grooving in use for
rifling; of these the most common in use for
English rifles is the well-known Henry rifling.
The actual form of the grooves does not seem to
be of so much consequence as regards accuracy;
SFOKTING FIBE-ABMS. 69
for most of the systems now in use, though they
vary considerably in this respect, give pretty
nearly equal results in accuracy at the targets,
and are all much on a par for sporting purposes ;
but of late years shallow-cut rifling has been
found to give the best results, to whatever system
it belongs. It is easier to clean, and has less
tendency to become fouled ; for the lubricating
wad, and the bullet itself, have a better chance
of clearing out the fouling left by the preceding
shot if the rifling is moderately shallow than if
it is deep. Those forms of rifling which have as
few sharp angles as possible are the best in these
respects, and some of the present systems are
almost, if not quite, equal to a smooth-bore in
affording facility for cleaning. Thomas Turner's
and systems resembling his are very easily wiped
out; but Lancaster's oval bore is the nearest
approach to, and is practically, a smooth-bore.
Eifling is not always made with a uniform
spiral. In some systems it begins with a slow
twist at the breech, and gradually increases to a
quick one at the muzzle, say from 1 turn in
100 calibres at the breech to 1 in 50 at the
muzzle. This kind of rifling is called the " gain
70 SPORTING FIRE-ABMS.
twist/' Its object is to decrease recoil and fric-
tion ; otherwise, I believe, it has no advantage
over the uniform twist.
All conical bullets for rifles taking heavy
powder-charges, especially small-bores, require a
certain amount of hardening. The explosion of
the large charge expands or " sets up " their
base ends so that they fit the bore tightly, and
pure lead bullets are too soft, and yield too much
to the pressure of the powder gas, and are too
much " set up " and disfigured by it. They have
farther the disadvantage of causing unnecessary
friction and recoil in their passage through the
barrel by being too thoroughly moulded into the
grooves by the upsetting process.
Hardened bullets oflfer more resistance to
setting up, and give better results in small-
bores.
Naked or " cannelured " unpatched bullets of
soft lead are apt to lead the barrel.
SPORTING FIRE-ABMS. 71
r
CHAPTER. VII.
The Necessity for using powerful Eifles for Heavy Game*
— General Description of Large-bore Eifles. — Table
of Weights and Charges, &c. of Large-bore Bifles. —
Explosive Bullets and Shells for Large-bore Bifles.
If animals of the heavy and thick-skinned classes
are to be hunted, it is sometimes necessary to
use weapons of greater power than those of the
express kind. The express system is amply
sufficient for all animals of the thin-skinned kind,
even the most dangerous ones, if weapons of
suitable size, and taking the proper projectiles,
are used. For instance, a friend of mine who has
had much experience in large-game shooting,
bagged in the year 1882 four tigers with only
five bullets from a "500 express double rifle by
ToUey ; the charge used was 116 grains or about
72 SPOBTING FIBE-ABMS.
4^ drs, of powder, and Eley's 340-grain ordinary
express bullet.
Of course even the lightest bullet will occasion-
ally kill a big animal by chance, as in the case
mentioned in the Indian papers lately, where a
man out shooting pea-fowl with a rook rifle came
suddenly across a tiger, and, as the beast was
preparing to attack him, he had no alternative
but to fire, which he did, aiming at the eye ; the
result being that the tiny bullet penetrated the
animal's brain, killing him on the spot. Such
good fortune, however, could not be expected
once in a thousand times, and what is wanted
for large and powerful, thick-skinned and heavy-
boned, or ferocious beasts, is a weapon that
propels with a heavy powder-charge, at a good
high velocity, a ball of good weight and penetra-
ting power, with a large striking surface, capable
of smashing heavy bones and inflicting a para-
lysing shock which will kill or disable the animal,
or at any rate render it powerless for mischief
till the sportsman can put another ball or two
into him and finish him.*
* A hardened 8-bore conical bullet, with 10 drs. of
powder, will penetrate fourteen hard wood planks, each
SPOBTING FIRE-ARMS. 73
A rifle for heavy game should be capable of
stopping an animal instantly. Such a weapon is
to be found in rifles of 12-gauge and larger sizes,
throwing spherical or short round-ended conical
bullets, or as is sometimes, though not now-a-days
frequently preferred, explosive bullets or shells.
Rifles of this kind are not intended for the longer
sporting ranges ; most of their shooting is done
at distances under 100 yards, and they have flat
trajectories up to and beyond this distance.
They should be sighted to shoot most accurately
at the shortest distances, and even at 15 or
20 yards should not throw an inch high, for a
very slight error vertically may make all the
difierence between a kill and a miss, and endanger
one's life.
Before express rifles were introduced, the
usual breech-loading rifles for general shooting
were of large calibre, varying from 16 to 12
gauge. The smaller sizes are rarely met with
now, but the 12, 10, or 8 gauges, which are now
an inch thick, at short range, as can be seen in a target of
this description at Messrs. Tolley's. This is immense
penetration, considering the large striking surface of the
bullet.
74 SPORTING FIRE-ARMS.
usually made as powerful as possible for their
calibre, the power of the sportsman to carry-
weight and stand recoil being taken into con-
sideration, are the large-bore rifles now used^
and are reserved entirely for heavy and dan-
gerous game.
Till the late Captain Forsyth of the Bengal
army wrote his book, The Sporting Bifle and its
Projectiles^ about twenty years ago, and intro-
duced his slow-twist rifling and heavy charges
for large-bores (his system applied to small-bores
gave birth to the modem express), rifles were
loaded with what to us seem ridiculously small
charges of powder of 1 to 2 drs., which was
necessitated by the excessively deep grooving
and quick spiral of the rifling then in vogue,
which caused the ball to strip with a heavier
charge, and the speed of their bullets was in
consequence very low, and trajectory high. Leaf
sights to give elevation had to be raised for any
distance over 50 or 60 yards. When more
power and speed was desired to be given to the
projectile, the smooth-bore, which could fire a
sufficient load of powder, had to be used, though
of course accuracy had to be sacrificed. The
SPORTING FIRE-ARMS. 75
powder used in former days, too, was very fine-
grained and quick-buming, and a big charge of
it strained a gun considerably more than the
large-grained kind now used.
The following table gives useful information
about large-bore rifles; it is compiled from a
report in the Field of the 8th September 1883>
by the kind permission of the editor.
1
Iffri
|ss
Itz
1= i
1
St
s i
s s
It
1 i
1 i
1 1
i«i^l
1 1
i 1
iitis|
i i
1 1
i -.
i
1
I
1
1
SFOBTING FIBE-ABMS. 77
The diagrams in Plate III. show approxi-
mately the sizes of the different calibres of rifles
and guns. The exact diameters of the larger
calibres are as follows : —
No. 4 Bore, 1-052 in.
„ 8 „ '835 „
„ 10 „ -775 „
„ 12 „ '729 „
„ 14 „ -693 „
„ 16 „ '662 „
„ 20 „ -615 „
The 12-bore is nearly always stamped " 13,"
being smaller than '729.
Fig 7, Plate III. is a short hemispherical-
ended large-bore conical projectile, suited for a
slow-twist rifle intended for spherical ball. Fig. 8
is a longer large-bore bullet, suitable for a rifle
with a quicker twist. Explosive shells are occa-
sionally used ; any bullet with a hollow front,
like the ordinary express bullet, can be made
into an explosive bullet by filling the hollow
with explosive mixture and stopping the mouth
with a plug of wax. The best explosive mixture
is composed of equal parts, by weight, of chlorate
of potash and sulphuret of antimony ; the mate-
78 SPORTING FIRE-ARMS.
rials should be ground separately into fine powder,
and only a very small quantity, sufficient for one
or two shells, should be mixed at once. This
can best be done on a clean china plate or piece
of glass with the feather of a quill pen, the nib
end of which can be used to fill the shell.
Bullets filled with this explosive are perfectly
safe to handle, and stand rough usage without
danger and will not explode unless propelled
with great force against an object, or struck
very violently. The materials of the explosive
should be mixed perfectly dry; if mixed wet,
it becomes very sensitive.
There are some explosive bullets, or rather
shells, with copper cores or chambers to hold
the explosive, of which they are capable of hold-
ing a larger charge than the hollow-fronted
bullet. The copper cores are held in position
in the bullet-mould by a plunger, while the lead,
which should be allowed to run in very gently,
is being poured into the mould. On the bullet
being cast, the plunger is withdrawn, and leaves
a hole by means of which the explosive can be
introduced into the shell. This hole is closed
with wax, or a shot pellet jammed in.
SPORTING FIRE-ARMS. 79
The copper core of the conical (Dougal's) shell
is bottle-shaped (Plate IV., Fig. 5), and that of
the spherical shell (Plate IV., Fig. 4), which is
known as Meade's shell, is spherical-shaped.
Meade's shell being very light, is suitable for
use in smooth-bore shot-guns. Its accuracy,
however, is, on account of its lightness, not good
except at very short range, about thirty or forty
yards. Forsyth's shell, capable of holding a
large charge also, is suitable for large-bored
rifles. It is cast in two pieces. The front por-
tion contains the explosive, and when it is filled
the two pieces are put together and swedged in
a machine. When complete, this shell has the
appearance of a solid bullet. See Figs. 6 and 7,
which show Forsyth's shell before and after
swedging.
80 SPOBTING FIBE-ABMS.
CHAPTER VIII.
Effects of Explosive Bullets and Shells. — ^Their Advantages
and Disadvantages. — Express Bullets used as Explo-
sive Projectiles. — ^Anti-recoil Heelr plates. — Finger
Guards. — Smooth-bore Ball-guns. — The Macleod
Bullet for Smooth-bore Guns. — Breech Actions of
Double Biiies. — The Purdej Bolt Snap-action for
Shot-guns. — ^Bar and Back-action Locks. — The Ma-
terial of Eifled and Smooth-bore Barrels. — Steel and
Twisted Metal. — Belgian Gun-barrels.
Since large-bore rifles have arrived at their
present state of perfection in power and accuracy^
the use of explosive bullets has to a great extent
gone out of fashion, and opinion varies a good
deal among Indian sportsmen as to their efficacy
for big game shooting. They have not usually
the penetrative power of the solid ball, and have
to a great extent the disadvantages, which I
have already pointed out, of the express hollow-
SPOBTING FIBE-ABMS. 81
fronted bullet ; there is no doubt, however,
that, if they do not explode prematurely on
striking a bone near the surface, and penetrate
well into. an animal, their effects are most deadly.
The effects of the explosion of half a drachm or
so of explosive mixture in the interior of an
animal must give a terrible shock to the system,
in addition to that given by the projectile
itself.
Ordinary express bullets, loaded as explosive
shells, are very useful in black-buck shooting in
a populous country. They are very deadly,
and if they miss they explode on striking the
ground, and the fragments do not range far.
For rifles or guns firing very heavy charges,
an anti-recoil heel-plate is advisable. They save
the shoulder of the firer from being bruised by
the recoil, and make shooting much pleasanter.
Silver's heel-plates are the best for this purpose ;
they are made of a combination of hard and soft
india-rubber and are very neat.
A finger-guard for the trigger-finger also is
desirable when using heavy loads, especially in
firing the left barrel. It saves the trigger-
finger from being bruised or cut by the right
6
82 8P0BTING FIBE-ABMS.
trigger when the gun recoils. The finger-
guard is made of india-rubber.
Smooth-bore ball-guns, generally of 10-bore,
are heavy, but lighter and handier than rifles of
similar bore. They are useful as second guns
for close quarters and for howdah shooting,
where shooting is done at a very short range.
They are almost, if not quite, equal to rifles of
the same gauge in power and accuracy at very
short ranges. Their barrels are usually stouter
:and shorter than those of shot-guns.
The Macleod bullet is intended for use in
smooth-bore guns ; it is cylindrical in shape, and
rotation, similar to that of a rifle bullet, is given
to it by the air passing through four holes or
passages, larger at the front end than in rear,
which run through it lengthways and obliquely.
It is said to have the accuracy of a rifle ball, but
I have had no experience in its use, so 1 can say
nothing on this point.
My remarks on this projectile are, of course,
:as I have not tried it, open to criticism, but I
think the following points should be noted : Its
weight, for the 12-gauge, is nearly 2 J oz. against
1^ oz. of the spherical ball of the same gauge ;
SPORTING FIRE-ABMS. 83
and a chargQ of 3 drs. of powder would give a
far heavier recoil with it than with the spherical,
with far less velocity and a much higher tra-
jectory, the proportion of powder to lead of
a 3-dr. charge being, to the Macleod bullet 1
to about 11*8, and to the sperical bullet 1 to 6*7.
Besides the disadvantage of increased recoil,
which, I think, must undoubtedly exist, its heavy
weight, aided by its length and cylindrical shape,
with its large surface exposed to friction, must
cause a far greater strain on the barrel and
action of a gun than the spherical ball, the
periphery of which only is exposed to friction ; *
so that I think great caution is necessary in
using it in a light shot-gun, or one not especially
built for ball. I think even a strong ball-gun
would be subjected to an undue strain in using
it with a 3-dr. charge. A charge of about 6 drs,
would be necessary to give the Macleod bullet
* The Macleod bullet, not fitting the bore tightly, does
not expose the whole of its surface to friction against the
barrel ; but if it is at all " set up " it must be subjected
to a large amount of friction, in any case to a far greater
extent than a spherical bullet, which only touches the
barrel at its periphery.
6 •
84 SPORTING FIRE-ARMS.
a fairly high muzzle velocity of about 1,100 or
1,200 f.s. And this, of course, except in a very
strong and heavy gun, would be quite inad-
missable, considering the weight of the projectile;
and heavy weight in a projectile, it is well
known, has more effect in causing recoil and
strain, even with a moderate charge of powder,
than a light projectile with a comparatively heavy
charge. A shot-gun could, I think, for this
reason, stand a powder charge of 4 to 5 drs.
fiir better with a spherical bullet than 3 drs.
with a Macleod bullet.
As to trajectory, Messrs. Tolley assure me
that with the 3-dr. charge with which they have
tried the Macleod bullet, it is very bad in com-
parison with, that of a spherical bullet. The
shape of the Macleod bullet does not seem well
adapted for penetration, though it would un-
doubtedly give a good blow to an animal if it
had suflBcient speed when it struck ; but speed
is a quality in which this projectile must be, as
I have already shown, deficient. The action of
the air in making the bullet spin must oflFer great
resistance to its progress and cause great loss of
velocity. The shape of the leading end of the
SPOBTING FIBE-ABMS. 85
bullet, a perfectly flat surface, is the worst adapted
for encountering resistance from the air.
Breech-actions of double rifles should be of
great strength; and the old double-grip lever
under the guard, which I recommended for plain
strong shot-guns, is the best for rifles also.
(See Plate IV., Fig. 1.)
The locks should be back-action, for the reasons
already given; and for all express and large-
bore rifles, or wild-fowl or ball-guns using very
heavy charges, a good top fastening is necessary
in addition to the double grip under the barrels.
The most common is the " doll's head," and it
is sufficiently good, but some of the top
fastenings are of very great strength, and are-
as for instance Greener's cross-bolt, or Tolley's
giant-grip, or Westley Richards top-bolt — able to
hold the barrels without any grip under them
at all, though the two former are used in con-
junction with other fastenings.
For ordinary shot-guns, the Purdey bolt is a
very good fastening, it is quite strong enough ;
but it is not so simple as the double-grip lever,
and is more difficult to get repaired abroad if it
gets out of order. Any such actions with the
86 SPORTING FIRE-ABMS.
extended rib or doll's head top fastening are far
more difficult to repair than the ordinary kind,
and this is a point to be noted in arms for rough
use abroad. Figs. 2 and 3, Plate IV., show the
sections of the ordinary double-grip lever breech-
action fitted with bar and back-action locks
respectively. From these it will be seen how
much more metal is cut away in the former
than in the latter. The shaded portion shows
the solid metal left in each action, and the
greater strength of the action fitted with back-
action locks is self-evident. No double rifle
should have bar locks. The great objection to
back-action locks is that they weaken the grip
or handle of the gun, so much wood being cut
away to admit the main-springs. The grip has,
in consequence, to be made a little thicker than
in bar-lock guns. It is, however, the choice of
two evils. It is better that the stock of the gun
should break across than the action, as the latter
accident would be far more disastrous in its con-
sequences. In a sound, well-made gun, the bar-
action is safe enough. In a cheap gun the back-
action lock should be insisted upon.
Rifle barrels are generally made of steel, bored
SPORTING FIRE-ABMS. 87
out of the solid, while those of shot-guns are
made of twisted metal, known as Damascus,
stub-twist, &c. The materials and mode of
manufacture are fully described in Mr. Greener's
book The Gun and its Development^ and in The
Modem Sportsman's Gun and Rifle^ by the editor
of the Field.
Steel is the best material for rifle barrels, as
it takes a finer polish, and the grooves of the
rifling can be cut with greater accuracy and
finish in this metal than in the twisted metal»
the fibres of which run across the direction of
the grooves, and are more likely, in case there
may be slight defects in welding, &c., to allow
rust spots or "pits" to form where these defects
occur. Such defects are, of course, far less likely
to occur in a solid homogeneous metal like steeL
The importance of having a perfectly smooth
polished surface in the interior of rifle barrels is
best shown by quoting from an article written
by Messrs. J. and W. Tolley on rifle-makings
which appeared in the Shooting Times of January
25th, 1884 : " Not only does the smooth finish of
the cut in the grooves in the rifling influence the
accuracy of the shooting, but it also much reduces
88 SPOBTING FIBE-ABMS.
the tendency in rifles using exceptionally heavy
powder - charges to lead the barrels in rapid
firing.'* From this it will be seen what necessity
there is for exercising great care, in cleaning rifle
barrels, not to scratch or injure their interior in
the least.
Twisted metal is best for shot-gun barrels, as
they are comparatively thin. It is also, perhaps,
best for light large -bore rifles having thin
barrels. If steel barrels were to burst, they
would be more likely to burst violently than
twisted metal ones, on account of the fibre of
the latter, which runs spirally round the
barrel, stretching and giving way gradually.
Steel of the kind ordinarily used for rifle barrels
is not suitable for shot-gim barrels. Belgian
twist barrels, which are generally found in cheap
guns, though they look very well, are softer
than those of English manufacture, and do not
stand rough usage or keep their good shooting
qualities so long.
SPOBTING FIBE-ABMS. 89
CHAPTER IX.
Pistols. — Cheap and Small-sized Pistols of no Use for Eeal
Service.— The -456 Eevolver.— The Enfield Pistol.—
Webley's, Tranter's, and Colt's Pistols. — ^American
Pistols with Heavy Charges. — Table showing Charges
of Revolver Cartridges. — Colt's " Frontier " Revolver
as a Carbine. — Self -extracting Revolvers. — The " Pull
o£E " of Revolvers. — Their Accuracy. — Disadvantages
of Revolvers. — Lancaster's Four-barrelled Pistol. —
Double-barrelled Pistols.— Rook Rifles. — The Sight-
ing of Rifles. — Aiming. — Focussing of Rifle Sights. —
Description of Sights. — Sights for Night Shooting. —
Lyman's Sight. — Beach's Combination Sight. — The
Telescope Sight.
Though pistols do not belong to the sporting
class of fire-arms, yet, as they may occasionally
have to be used abroad, it will not be out of
place to say something about them.
All the smaller-bored and short -barrelled
revolvers, and cheap ones, usually of Belgian
make of any kind, are more or less unreliable.
The small sizes, though their bullets will kill if
they wound in a vital part, will not generally
stop a man, especially in the excitement of a
90 SPOBTING FIBE-ARMS.
fight, while the short-barrelled pistols are want-
ing as a rule in accuracy, and have not the
power of the long-barrelled ones. Cheap pistols
will probably be found to be out of order when
most urgently required, and it is very false
economy to get them.
For military men and others going to India it
is advisable to have a pistol taking the •45&
Government ammunition, which is, together with
the '450 old-pattern revolver cartridge (which
also fits this pistol) to be obtained from arsenals^
and regiments, and from the principal dealers in
the country. In India, military men can pro-
vide themselves, if they desire it, with the
Enfield revolver, which can be had on payment
from Government. This pistol is the new
Government arm, and is on the self-extracting
principle, but differs in its extracting mechanism
from any other pattern that I have seen. It ia
a well-balanced, accurate weapon.
There are many excellent pistols taking the
•465 ammunition. Of these I think the best are
Webley's and Tranter's, both of which can be
had either of the self-extracting, or of the ordi-
nary pattern ; they are both double-action in both
SPOBTING FIBE-ABMS.
91
patterns. The Colts' and Adams* double-action
non-extracting revolvers, are also excellent
pistols. Should a more powerful revolver be
required, I should recommend the Colts' '440
*' Frontier *' pistol, taking the Winchester rifle
cartridge, or the Smith Wesson '440, or '450,.
aU of which revolvers take much heavier charge*
than the English •455.
The following table shows the charges of
powder of some of the revolver cartridges in
use, which would be most serviceable for real
work : —
»
Chai^.
Proportion
Cartridge.
Weight
of pow-
der in
Weisrht
of biulet
•
of powder to
lead.
Semarks.
grains.
ingrus.
■
*450 old-pattern
13
225
1 to 17-30
Bullet with deep
Goyermnent.
hole behind, soft
lead ; cannelnred.
1
'455 new-pattern
Goyemment.
18
265
1 to 14-72
Bullet with deep
hole behind, hard
lead ; cannelnred ;
wax wad.
•460 U.S.
37
250
1 to 6-75
Cannelnred.
Goyermnent.
•440 Colt's
40
200
1 to 5
Ditto.
(Winchester)
« Frontier."
f
•440 Smith
Wesson.
25
250
1 to 10
Ditto.
1
92 SPOBTING FIBE-ABMS.
From this table it can be seen how much
more powerful the three last cartridges, which
are of American pattern, are than that of our
Oovernment. English revolvers to take the
American cartridges can be purchased in
London, as well as those of American manu-
facture. All the above cartridges can be re-
loaded and used several times over. The average
weight of •466 military revolvers is 2^ lbs.,
and their barrels are about 5^ to 6 inches
long. They are good belt-pistols. The Colts'
"Frontier" revolver has a 7^-inch barrel, and
€an be used as a carbine with an attachable
stock ; it is a very simple, strong, useful, single-
action pistol, well adapted for rough usage. It
has a good recoil with its heavy charge used, as
a pistol, with one hand.
Self-extracting revolvers are more handy for
loading, especially on horseback, than the old
pattern; they are, however, more complicated
and likely to get out of order. The price of
good revolvers is from about £2 128. for Colts'
single-action, to about £6 or £7 for the best self-
extracting ones.
The '* pull off '' of revolvers ought to be light,
SPORTING FIRE-ARMS. 93
not above 2 or 3 lbs. A feir shot should be
able to put most of his bullets, using one hand
to hold the pistol, into a 6-inch circle up ta
thirty paces. It requires much practice to make
good shooting with a revolver, especially if the
self-cocking action is made use of. It should
only be used for close quarters in a miUe.
There is considerable loss of power from
escape of gas between the chamber and barrel of
a revolver, and on this account as well as from
the shortness of its barrel, a revolver does not
propel its bullet with anything like the power
that a rifle firing the same charge would.
Lancaster's four-barrelled pistol, taking the
revolver-cartridge, gets over the difficulty of the
escape of gas. Its four barrels, put together in
two pairs, are all fired by one trigger. There
is one lock which acts on the striker of each
barrel in turn, the cocking being effected by
means of the trigger, as in a double-action
revolver ; there is no outside hammer.
Double-barrel breech-loading pistols, to take
the cut-down Snider or Martini-Henry cartridge
(•677-bore) with spherical bullets and about
1^ drs. of powder, are more effective weapons
94 SPOBTING FIBE-ABMS.
than revolvers, but they have the disadvantage
of only having two shots.
A 16 or 12 bore heavy double-barrelled B.L.
pistol, generally smooth-bored, carrying 2 drs.
of powder and a spherical bullet, is occasionally
used as a sporting weapon in Indian shooting.
It is found to be very handy in emergencies,
and can sometimes be used under circumstances
when a longer weapon cannot be handled. It
is useful on account- of its portability as a dernier
resort when a man is in danger of being mauled
by a dangerous animal, and has not the chance
of using a better weapon.
Breech-loading double pistols are more expen-
sive than revolvers. They are usually made
with double-grip action and back-action locks
like a gun. Rook or pea rifles are useful for
practising at a mark and for shooting small
animals, pea-fowl, &c. Besides the Morris's
tube which I have already mentioned, there are
many excellent miniature rifles to choose from,
the cost of which is from £3 upwards. Of these
the Martini-Zeller, by Adams, of Finsbury Pave-
ment, is a good one for the price; but, of course,
the more expensive ones, such as Holland's,
SPORTING FIRE-ARMS, 96
i^hich are celebrated for their accuracy, are
better. The -380 or '360 is the best size for
abroad. These rifles carry very well to about
150 yards ; they have a flat trajectory to about
€0 or 70 yards. Their charge of powder is
about 15 to 20 grains, and bullet about 150
grains, the initial velocity being about 900 to
1,000 f.s. They are handy little weapons to
have in camp, as they are useful in many cases
where it would be a waste of ammunition to
expend an expensive express cartridge. Express
bullets do very well in them. I once bagged a
chinkara gazelle at over 100 yards with one out
of a -380 Martini-Zeller. The -380 cartridge-
cases reload many times, and cost only about
2s. 6d. a hundred. A mould, recapper, and
swedge are necessary.
The '380 and '320 Winchester repeaters are
very good rifles ; the former is almost equal in
power to the '360 express. Its load is 38 grains
(1^ drs.) of powder with a 160-grain solid
bullet ; an express 140-grain bullet can be used
also. This rifle would do for small antelope
shooting.
Having described the various kinds of arms, I
96 SPORTING FIRE-ARMS.
will now enter into the matter of sighting of
rifles, which is a most important one, as the
accuracy of a rifle is of no avail if its sighting is
incorrect.
Sporting sights usually consist of a "bead*' at
the muzzle (Fig. 1, Plate V.) and a V-shaped
notch near the breech (Fig. 2). Aim is taken
by getting the object desired to be struck in
line with the bead of the foresight and the
bottom of the notch of the backsight (Fig. 3,
Plate v.). In aiming at an object with a rifle
it is usual to close the left eye, and only use the
right one. Some very good shots shoot with
both eyes open, and it would be an advantage
if everyone could learn to do so : no doubt it
would come by practice. It is well known, of
course, that most people keep both eyes open in
shooting with shot-guns, but then there are no
sights to align. The focussing of back-sights is
important ; they ought to be placed at such a
distance from the breech that when aim is taken
they appear clear and distinct, and not blurred.
Eye-sight differs, but about eight to ten inches
in front of the breech is about the position for
back-sights which will suit most people.
-P/. V
^^3^^
1 Fo7'^si phts
yicLTroy^'
liteiiii
W4Jte/f
yinaii Sig^t
A /w -tu-Ken 7)y
-^Coccli Coyn'htn.titloTi
■fore si^hrt
iQ
^yt/ieara,nc€ of
SPOKTINa FIBE-AEMS. 97
The V of the back-sight differs in form.
Some prefer a deep, narrow V ; others a wide,
shallow one ; the latter I think the most useful
for sporting purposes, as it gives a clearer view
of the game.
The centre of the back-sight is very commonly
defined by a fine platinum line, which is of
advantage when the sunlight does not fall upon
it and dazzle the eyes. Of this matter, how-
ever, I will speak later on.
Occasionally the back-sight is a plain bar,
"without any notch at all, the centre being defined
by a fine line. For some lights it is probably
the best. It is, perhaps, easier to get the correct
elevation with it than with the V-shaped sight-
The fore-sight is sometimes of the kind known
as the "knife-edge." This kind, though very
^ood for target practice, is not suitable, as a
rule, for game shooting, though a few men
prefer it. It is well defined against the clear
white colour of a target, though it cannot be
seen well against the neutral colour of an animal's
skin, and one is apt to aim too high at game
when using it. For ordinary lights the ordi-
nary black fore-sight is well adapted, but for
7
98 SPORTING FIRE- ARMS.
shooting in twilight a silver-tipped or ivory
fore -sight is preferable. It could be made inter-
changeable with the ordinary one.
Sometimes it is necessary to shoot in the dark,
and various contrivances are used to make the
end of the barrels and sights visible to enable
aim to be taken. A piece of white paper or
cotton- wool fixed on to the muzzle is generally
used for this purpose, and one of the Calcutta
gunmakers advertises a luminous foresight for
night use, but I have not seen it.
Night shooting, however, is at the best but
uncertain work, and should only be attempted
in the absence of other means of getting game.
It is usually resorted to for shooting tigers, pan-
thers, &c. from " machams " or platforms, on
posts, or trees, or other safe places, a live bait in
the shape of a bullock or kid being tied up near
the place to attract the game.
The American Lyman back-sight (Fig. 4,
Plate V. ) is well adapted for antelope shooting,
it can be used with the ordinary bead or " globe "
fore-sight. Aim is taken through a peep-hole of
about one- tenth of an inch in diameter. A smaller
sized peep-hole can be brought into use, if desired.
J
SPORTING FIRE-ARMS. 99
for target-shooting, by an ingenious mechanical
arrangement in the sight.
In aiming with the Lyman sight, the object
aimed at is seen with the bead well defined
against it, through an indistinct kind of halo,
which does not interfere with a clear view. For
accuracy combined with quickness of aim it is,
perhaps, one of the best sights devised ; if the
object is covered by the bead of the fore-sight
seen through the centre of the peep-hole, it must
be struck, provided the rifle is accurate and
steadily held. It has, however, the disadvantage
of taking up space on the " handle " or " small '*
of the gun, and its bed-plate interferes with the
hand, and may probably hurt it with its sharp
corners, when heavy charges are used, in the
recoil of the rifle.
These sights are well suited to rifles of the
usual American pattern, which are, according to
our standard, heavy for the charges they use,
and have comparatively little recoil, and for
deer-stalking or antelope-rifles, but I think they
would be out of place in the heavier double
rifles.
The best fore-sight to use with the Lyman
7 ♦
100 SPOBTING FIBE-ABMS.
back-sight is the Beach combination sight, which
-can be used either as a covered bead or knife-
€dge sight (Fig. 5, Plate V.).
Another sight deserves mention, though it is
suitable for deer-stalking or antelope-rifles only,
— ^this is the telescope sight. In those which I
have seen, of Henry's and Frazer's patterns, the
tube of the telescope is of metal like a gun-
barrel, and is strong enough, being firmly fixed
on the rib of the rifle, to stand tolerably rough
usage. Crossed hairs, like those of a theodolite
telescope, give great accuracy of aim. Of course
the telescope magnifies the object, and assists the
sight; the eye-piece is lined with India-rubber
to prevent possible damage to the eye of the firer
from recoil.
The telescope is about sixteen or eighteen
inches long, and has the disadvantage of being
rather heavy, and, of course, is a rather clumsy
.adjunct to a rifle. Its price is high, about £9 ;
it is not in common use.
SPOETINQ MEB-AEMS. 101
CHAPTER X.
!E^marks on Bifle-Shooting. — On the Correction of Faulta
in the Sighting of Eifles, and the Cause of the Bad
Shooting of some Eifles. — On Aiming. — Shooting in
a High Wind. — Shooting at High Elevations above Sea-
level. — Sights of Shot-guns. — The Distances to which
Sporting Eifles are sighted. — ^Long Shots unsports-
manlike. — CombinationExpress and Long-rangeEifles,.
and their Sighting. — The Sighting of Large-bore
Eifles. — On Aiming with Express Eifles at very short
Eanges. — " Position " in Shooting. — Correct Holdings
— Pressing the Trigger. — " Pull-off " of Triggers. —
On "Dwelling " on the Aim. — Sights to be Upright
in Aiming. — On Aiming at Moving Animals. — On
Shooting Down-hill. — Safety Bolts on Eifles. — Gun-
bearers and Loaded Ouns. — ^A Caution. — Eebounding^
Locks.
RiFLE-SHOOTiNG is a science, and accuracy of
shooting of any kind can only be acquired by
practice. No two rifles, however much alike,
will shoot exactly the same ; and a man, to make
102 spoRTma fire-arms.
the best use of his weapon, must become familiar
with it. A good shot behmd an mferior gun will
make a far better bag, coeteris panbuSf than a
duffer with the best weapon that money can
procure. Practice with a rook-rifle or Morris's
tube will be of great assistance in teaching a
beginner to shoot. A rifle which will shoot
accurately enough with one man will, perhaps,
be found to throw high with another ; this may
be on account of some difference in eye-sight or
peculiarity of holding. In long-range target-
shooting, two men will sometimes make equally
good shooting with similar rifles and ammunition,
though using different elevations. A rifle will
throw slightly higher when the trigger is pressed
with the second finger instead of the fore-finger.
If a sporting rifle is found to throw high, it is
a bad fault, and should be at once corrected by
cutting the V of the back-sight a little deeper ;
this can be done on the range, experimental shots
being fired, and the sight gradually out down till
the right depth is reached. A fine file should be
used, and care should be taken not to scratch the
barrel. The back-sight in sporting rifles is re-
movable, being fitted by being dovetailed into
SPORTING FIRE-AEMS. 103
the rib, and can be removed by being tapped on
the side with a wooden mallet, or by striking a
coin, held against its side, lightly with a hammer;
the little screw, which is sometimes used to keep
the sight in the centre of the rib, being first
taken out. The original black colour of the
sight can be restored by heating it red hot in a
lamp-flame and dipping it in oil. In replacing
the sight care should be taken to place it exactly
in its proper position. Where there is no small
screw to fix the back-sight, there are usually
small linear marks stamped both on the sight
and on the rib, which coincide with each other
when the sight is in its right place. Some rifles
throw high on account of the gunmaker having
given them a fictitiously flat trajectory to a long
range, by making the standing back-sight too
high, or, what amounts to the same thing, by
making the rib on which the sight stands too
high. In cases like these, if it is found im-
practicable to lower the V notch by filing,
the fore-sight should be replaced by a higher,
one.
If a rifle is found to shoot to one side the
back-sight should be moved in the opposite
104 SPORTING FTEE-AEMS.
direction to correct this fault. A high fore-sight
has the disadvantage of being weaker and more
exposed to rough usage, and is on this account
generally either mounted on a raised rib or
stud, or is protected by a couple of projecting
pieces of metal as in the Martini carbine (Plate
v.. Fig. 8).
If a rifle throws slightly low, it is rather a
good fault ; but if it shoots too low, eit)ier a
lower fore-sight or a higher back-sight must be
fitted. Most makers regulate the shooting of
their rifles for the aim to be taken with the bead
placed below instead of on the object fired at ; if
aim is therefore taken with the bead on the
object, the result will be a clean miss high over
it. Details of this sort should be enquired into
on purchasing a rifle. Aiming with the bead
below the object has the advantage of giving a
clearer view of it (Fig. 3, Plate V.), but it is
merely a matter of accustoming oneself to one
style or other of aiming. In aiming with a
covered globe fore-sight, as in the Beach sight,
the bead, which is supported on a long slight
stalk, which does not obstruct the view, is laid
on or covering the object.
SPORTING FIEE-AKMS. 105
With the knife-edge sight aim is best taken
by placing the top of the sight just under the
object. In shooting in a high wind allowance
must be made for the projectile being deflected
by it ; express bullets, being light, are very
sensitive in this respect, much more so than
heavy long'-range bullets of the same calibre,
and it is sometimes necessary to aim as much as
a foot or more to the windward side of a mark
at hundred yards with a '450 express. If the
wind is gusty, it is almost impossible to make
good shooting, as the wind not only affects the
bullet, but unsteadies the barrel of the rifle^
Practice on a range on a windy day will soon
show what allowance or " wind-gauge '' is neces-
sary.
The height above sea-level affects, I believe^
to a considerable degree, the velocity of a rifle
bullet ; the higher above sea-level it is fired,
the longer range it will have ; due, I believe,
to the air being rarer at great heights. This is
a point to be noted by those who, like the sports-
men in the Himalayas, shoot at considerable
heights above sea-level. A few shots at a mark
will show to what extent rifles are over-sighted
106 SPORTING FIEB'AEMS.
for the longer sporting ranges at high elevations
above the sea.
Shot-guns have a small bead-sight ; but though
aim is not taken as with a rifle, it undoubtedly
assists the eye. Gilbert's sight is highly spoken
of by some, but I can offer no opinion on it, as
I have Hot tried it. It is, I believe, said to have
advantages for those who have some defect in
their eye-sight. Elevation, in order to get longer
range, is given in sporting-rifle sights by hinged
leaves, which are raised for the distances re-
quired. Cheap and inferior rifles are usually
only regulated to shoot at the shortest distance,
if they are regulated at all, and the leaf marked
^' 200," for the 200-yards range, will be gene-
rally found high enough to shoot at double that
distance. Of course it can be cut down to the
proper height. For most sporting purposes a
distance of 260 yards is quite far enough for a
rifle to be sighted up to, indeed a shot at 200
yards even is a long one. The vital parts of an
antelope, for instance, are only contained in a
space equal to a circle of less than a foot in
diameter, and that is not a large mark at over
200 yards. Of course a lucky shot in the neck,
SPORTING FIEE-AEMS. 107
or head, or spine, will kill ; but these parts,
except at short range, are too dijEcult to make
certain of, and a hit on them at long range is
more or less of a fluke. A long shot is unsports-
manlike ; it is more likely to wound, and cause
4
unnecessary pain, than a shot at short range, and
an antelope hit too far back will go for miles,
and escape only to die a lingering death, or to
fall a prey to wolves, &c.
Single rifles may be sighted for longer ranges,
and those small-bore rifles, with a quick spiral,
using a moderate charge, say 85 to 95 grs. of
powder, which can shoot both the express
and long-range bullet, can with advantage be
sighted for either. Sights for rifles of this de-
scription can be made with a standing sight for
100 to 150 yards, and one or two flaps for longer
ranges, for the express bullets, and a long flap
and slide, similar to those of military rifles for
long ranges, up to 800 or 1,000 yards for the
heavy bullet. This long flap with slide folds flat,
and does not interfere with the aim taken with the
express sights/ which are placed behind the long-
range sight. Sights of this description are known
as "combination express and long-range "^ sights.
108 SPORTTNQ FIRE-ARMS.
Large-bore rifles are sighted in a similar man-
ner to expresses, but have, more frequently than
the latter, " flush " sights ; that is, there is no
standing back-sight at all, and the flaps for every
distance fold quite flat with the rib, and are not
used at the shortest ranges, under 100 yards.
This is an advantage in snap-shooting, as the
view of a moving animal is not obstructed in
the least. It would perhaps be an advantage to
have the back-sight of all rifles having a rib,
flush. Fore-sights should, for very accurate
shooting, be as " fine '* or small as is consistent
with strength. A " coarse," or large bead has
a tendency to make one shoot high, and no fine
shooting can be done with it ; if laid on an object
it covers it entirely.
Large-bore wild-fowl guns have occasionally
back-sights of the " flush " kind, with a flap or
two for long shots. As express rifles are usually
sighted with the standing sight for 150 yards,
at intermediate ranges, say 50 to 100 yards, aim
should be taken very fine, or slightly low, as the
bullet rises an inch or two, more or less, accord-
ing to the height of the rifle's trajectory at these
intermediate distances, above the line of sight.
SPOETING FIRE-ARMS. 109
And now, having gone into the matter of
sighting, it is necessary to say something on
** position " in shooting, holding, &c. The sports-
man should be able to shoot in any position. In
stalking it will occasionally be necessary to take
a kneeling, or a crouching; or a sitting shot, so
as not to expose oneself to view, and even the
lying down or "prone" position may be useful at
times, and the beginner should learn and practice
them all ; but the standing position is the one
from which game is most frequently shot. A
good position in shooting comes naturally to
some, but in the majority of cases it is best
learnt from a good shot. Practice at a target
will soon show a man what position suits him
best.
Eifles or guns using heavy charges require to
be held with the butt well pressed into the
hollow of the shoulder. The consequences of the
recoil of a loosely-held rifle, especially a heavy
one, are very disagreeable : a bruised shoulder
and cheek are the results, and I have even seen
a man's collar-bone broken by the recoil of a
loosely-held musket with a heavy charge.
A pistol grip enables a rifle to be more firmly
110 SPORTING FIRE-ARMS.
held and pressed into the shoulder ; it should
be fitted to all rifles, and is comfortable to use
even with shot-guns. Shot-guns are sometimes
fitted with the "half-pistol " grip. The trigger
should not be pulled with a jerk, but should be
pressed firmly with the fore or second finger
directly the firer is sure of his aim ; it should not
be done in a hurry — a hurried shot is usually
a miss.
In pressing the trigger in rifle shooting, the
thumb should be placed behind the hammer, or
in a corresponding position in a rifle without
a hammer, pressing against the stock (the Martini
has a hollow for the thumb), as it enables the
finger to press more steadUy. If the hand of
the sportsman is not large enough to get a firm
grip of the Martini rifle, the second finger should
be used to press the trigger.
The "pull-off" of triggers should not, for
sporting rifles or guns, exceed 3 lbs. The shape
of a trigger and its " set *' have a great deal to
do with the weight of the pull-off; a trigger
leading well back seems easier to pull than one
set almost at right angles to the stock, though
they may both have the same weight of pull-off*
SPORTING FIRE-ARMS. Ill
A heavy puU-ofF is not conducive to accuracy
whether in a gun, rifle, or pistol ; and the heavy
pull-ofF, 6 or 7 lbs., of military rifles is only to
make them safer when used by clumsy or inex-
perienced men.
Too long a time ought not to be taken over
the aim, the trigger should be pressed at once
when the mark is seen in its proper position over
the sights, and the shooter should hold his breath
in pressing the trigger. If the shooter tries to
make his aim more perfect the strain on his
sight and nerves increases, and the aim generally
becomes worse instead of better. The first aim
is the best. If a steady aim is not got at the
first attempt it is better to pause and take breath,
and even take the rifle down fi-om the shoulder
to steady oneself, before trying again.
The rifle should be held perfectly upright,
so that the axis of the barrel and the line of sight
may be in the same vertical plane ; if the rifle is
inclined to one side, the bullet will be thrown to
that side and go low. In shooting at running
animals aim should be taken some distance ahead
of them, say about 3 to 4 feet in front of an
antelope moving at the rate of 12 miles an hour.
112 8P0BTING FIRE-ARMS.
at a range of 100 yards with an ordinary express
rifle.* If the shooting is in the open, it is best,
perhaps, to aim at a spot on a level with the
shoulders or other part of an animal's body which
it is desired to hit, some 16 or 20 yards ahead
of him, and to press the trigger immediately it
arrives at the right distance from the point at
which it is necessary to shoot. Snap-shots at
running game in brushwood or jungle are more
difficult, and the rifle must be used more or less
like a shot-gun, as there is no opportunity for
aligning sights. A short-barrelled, handy, flush-
sighted rifle, is best for this work, so as to handle
as much like a shot-gun as possible. In shooting
down-hill the tendency of the rifle is to throw
high, aim should therefore be taken rather below
an object when firing at it from a height above
it. It would be most useful to try a rifle in
shooting at a mark both down and up hill, to see
how much allowance is necessary.
Some sporting rifles are fitted with sliding
bolts for locking the hammer at half-cock, so
that the gun may be carried, when loaded, with
\
\
* See page 119.
SPORTING FIRE-ARMS. 113
safety. These bolts were necessary enough in
the days of the muzzle-loader, which could not
be unloaded when not immediately required, and
was oftQn carried loaded by gun-bearers: but
there is not so much need for them now, and
they will often be found worse than useless, as
the gun, when required to be used suddenly,
will often, from an oversight or accidentally, if
the bolts work loosely, be found to have its
hammers bolted. I think the disadvantages of
safety-bolts almost outweigh their advantages;
and the best precaution against accidents lies in
the care with which a loaded gun ought to be
handled By the sportsman himself.
Very great care should be taken in entrusting
gun-bearers with loaded guns, whether they have
safety bolts or not. A sad accident took place a
few years ago by which a fine young fellow lost
his life, shot dead accidentally by his gun-bearer
who was walking in front of him carrying a rifle
over his shoulder with the .muzzle pointing to-
wards him. If loaded guns are given to attendants
to carry, they should be made to keep the muzzles
pointing upwards ; but the best plan is to avoid
entrusting them with loaded guns, if possible.
8
114 SPORTING FIRE-ARMS.
Rebounding locks are now geiierally used in
guns — they are more convenient in reloading,
as the breech can be opened without first cocking
the gun ; but they are occasionally liable to
cause miss-fires, as some of the strength of the
main-spring has to be exerted in making the
hammer rebound, and the force of the blow on
the striker or piston is thereby lessened. They
are used sometimes in rifles ; but as a miss-fire
in a big-game rifle is a serious matter, it is as
well, perhaps, not to use them. They enable a
loaded gun to be carried more safely, and are
advantageous in this respect, and if of really
good material and workmanship, are to be recom-
mended in preference to ordinaiy locks. Their
mechanism is very similar to that of ordinary
locks, the rebound is caused by an extension in
length of the lower arm of the main-spring.
SPORTING PIBE-ARMS. 115
CHAPTER XI.
Description of the Standing Position. — " Position Drill."
— Snapping. — Aiming with the Shot-gun.*— Shooting
at Moving Objects with Shot-gun. — General Eemarks
on Shooting at Moving Objects. — On the Fit of a
Gun or Eifle. — Eemarks on the Measurement of
Guns and Eifles, and on the Directions to be given
to the Gunmaker in ordering these Weapons. — On
the Provision of Ammunition, Gun Fittings, &c. for
use Abroad. — Bammerless Actions. — Eepairs to Fire-
arms in India. — ^Native Gunsmiths.
In the previous chapter I mentioned that the
standing position is that from which game is
most frequently shot, and it is perhaps as well to
give a description of it in as simple language as
possible. (My military readers may, of course,
skip it.)
In firing standing, the weight of the body
should be supported on the left foot, which
should be pointed to the front, or in the direction
of the object aimed at; the right foot should be
8 *
116 SPORTING FIBE-ABMS.
placed about ten inches behind and to the right
of the left, pointing to the right front ; both legs
should be straight, and the knees should not be
bent.
The rifle should, while aiming, be supported
by the left hand, which should grasp it at a
short distance in front of the breech-action. It
should rest in the palm of the hand, the fingers
closing round it, but not so as to obstruct the
sight, and the thumb should rest between the
stock and barrel. The left elbow should be
well under the rifle, and should not stick out
sideways. The rifle should be well pressed into
the hollow of the shoulder by the left hand, and
should be grasped at the small or handle of the
butt by the right hand, the thumb of which
should be placed behind the hammer, or in a
corresponding position in a hammerless rifle, and
the fore or second finger should be placed weU
round the trigger, the remaining fingers closing
round the handle or pistol-grip of the butt*
The right elbow should be raised almost level
with the shoulder, which should be slightly
thrown forward. The head should be bent
forward, so as to bring the right eye on a level
SPORTING FIRE-ARMS. 117
with the sights, which may best be aligned on
the object by raising the muzzle of the rifle,
which should point a little below it.
Some men in aiming bring the rifle down
on the object instead of raising it. It is said
this method makes a miss high in a hurried shot
less probable. A little of what is known as
^* position drill" will do a novice in the art
of shooting no harm.. The rifle should be
frequently brought to the present (the aiming
position) at a small mark to enable the hand and
eye to work together, and to accustom the arms
to its weight and handling. With a little
practice it will be found to cover the mark
almost as easily as a shot-gun.
If snap caps, which allow the hammer to fall
harmlessly, are used, *' snapping practice "
should be done both with gun and rifle, as it is
most useful in accustoming one to pressing the
trigger steadily while aiming.
In using the shot-gun, no aim, as understood
in rifle shooting, is taken. The eyes, both open,
should be kept on the bird or other game ; and
the hand and the eye working together, the gun
will be found to cover it, and the necessary
118 SPORTING FIRE-ARMS. !
allowance on account of the motion of the game
can then be made. ]
A regular *'aim" should not be attempted in
shooting with a shot-gun, and the trying to get
it leads to a " poking " style of shooting which
is never very effective.
Shot-guns as well as rifles should be held
well pressed into the shoulder to counteract
recoil, A shot-gun should be directed below a
bird going away, and above it if approaching ;
the amount of allowance varying according to
the height of the bird above the shooter. Very
little allowance need be made for a bird flying
low. The distance necessary to hold ahead of
a moving object can only be learnt by practice ;
but I will take the case of a bird flying across at
the rate of 30 miles an hour (44 feet a second)
at a distance of 40 yards from the shooter ; the
mean velocity of shot being taken to be at this
range, say 600 feet per second, it would be
necessary to direct the shot 3 feet in advance
of the bird to hit it. The distance to hold
ahead of course varies according to the animal's
speed and the direction in which it is moving ;
if it is approaching or going away obliquely.
SPORTING FIRE-ARMS. 119
less allowance is necessary than if it is going
straight across. The rate at which animals
move, and the mean speed of projectiles being
known, the amount of allowance necessary for
any distance is easily calculated on paper^ but in
the field the knowledge can only be gained by
experience.*
It is necessary to have a gun or rifle to
properly fit the shooter. A good fitting weapon
"comes up" well,t and in pointing it towards
any object, it will be found to cover it on the
eye being run along the rib. In ordering guns
and rifles, several should be put up to the
shoulder to see what kind of a stock fits best,
and "comes up." A stock which is too short
is most uncomfortable to use with an arm taking
a big charge, the recoil will be most severely
felt, and a stock which is too long is unhandy
and will not come up quickly.
Directions for measuring the length and bend
of the gun will be found in most gunmakers'
circulars. If the purchaser has had no experi-
* Page 112.
t I.e. comes up to the " present " or aiming position.
120 SPORTING FIBE-ABMS.
ence of guns, it is as well to let the gunmaker
fit him ; or if he cannot see him personally, he
should state his height and whether he is short
or long-necked, and give the length of his arm
from the top of the shoulder-joint to the end of
the middle finger.
The measure of a gun can be taken as follows :
a straight-edged piece of wood should be placed
along the rib of the gun, or the gun should be
placed with its rib against the straight edge of a
table, and the distances from the straight edge
or table, which should be long enough to come
up to the butt-end of the gun, should be measured
in inches and eighths as follows (see Fig. 1.,
Plate IV.) :—
1st. To the "comb" or point of the stock
just behind the handle a to b.
2nd. To the heel of the butt, c to d.
These measurements give the bend.
3rd. From the centre of the right trigger to
the centre of the heel-plate, A to /.
4th. From the same to the heel of the butt,
h to g.
5th. From the same to the toe of the butt,
h to g.
f —
1**4
»-.iU
, ■ ■ ^:'' "-^^OX AND
SPORTING FIRE-AEMS. 121
These measurements give the length of the
stock.
The following particulars should also be given
to the gunmaker in ordering a gun or rifle : —
For a gun or rifle, state the calibre^ weighty
length of barrels^ and their material^ length and
hend of stocky style of action^ and locks , whether
ordinary^ rebounding^ or hammerless^ &c., the
<juality, and price which can be afforded.
For a gun, whether choke-bored or plain
in one or both barrels, and the approximate
pattern required to be made by each barrel in a
-30-inch circle at 40 yards, whether to shoot the
ordinary or extra long cartridge, and whether to
be regulated for firing ball, and any other
particulars.
For a rifle ; the kind of cartridge it should be
-chambered for, the bullet and powder charge,
style of sighting, whether the locks are to have
safety-bolts or not, whether a pistol -grip is
wanted, and any other little details which may
^appear necessary. Messrs. ToUey furnish intend-
ing purchasers with a form which can be filled
up, in which these points are suggested ; it is
most convenient.
122 SPORTING FIRE-ARMS.
For India, and I suppose for most other places,
all cartridge-cases, wads, caps, and all appurte-
nances of fire-arms should be procured and taken
out from home ; powder is best bought in India,
as there is trouble in taking it out on board
ship. Loaded cartridges also cause delay in
shipping.
In ordering cartridge-cases, great care is neces-
sary to give the correct size and designation,,
there being so many. I remember, as a case in
point, a young fellow bringing a '600 express
rifle to India, chambered for the bottled-shaped
cartridge, while the ammunition with which he
was provided was the straight coiled case. He
did not find it out till he tried his rifle at a mark,
when the escape of gas very soon let him know
that there was something wrong.
There is an import duty on fire-arms and
appurtenances in India, of ten per cent, ad
valorem on articles of this kind imported by
military oflBcers, and others entitled to possess
them, for their own private use, a certificate
to this effect being furnished by them. There
is an import duty on gunpowder also.
Besides the usual case and fittings, spare
SPORTING FIRE-ARMS. 128
strikers, main-sprmgs, fore-sights, nipples, &c.
to replace those damaged or lost, should be
taken. A cramp or vice for the main-spring
should not be forgotten. A water-proof cover
is necessary for each gun, one of thick durable
material is the best. Leather gun-covers are a
mistake for damp weather, they attract moisture
and cause rust to form in the gun instead of
protecting it. All gun-covers should be fitted
with slings. For travelling and camp use, when
one does not want to be encumbered with gun-
j cases, the guns may be carried in the covers.
An outer cover of thickly-wadded cloth or
blanketing put over the water-proof cover will
protect the gun from being bruised or damaged -y.
I it should be made somewhat similar in shape to
j the waterproof cover.
i I have not mentioned hammerless actions for
[ double guns or rifles ; if a high price can be
afforded they can, no doubt, be had really good
and reliable; but though I have had no experience
of hammerless guns, I would not, as a rule,
advocate their use in a country like India, or for
any other part of the world where experienced
gunsmiths are not usually within call, and would
124 SPORTING FIRE-ARMS.
•certainly not recommend any of the cheap varieties
of this action which have detached bar-locks.
Of course, hammerless guns are not liable to
accidents from the catching of the hammers
against one's clothes, twigs, &c. and are quicker
to use; but they are more complicated, their
mechanism having to perform so much more
woi'k than that of ordinary guns, and if they get
out of order are not so easily repaired by gun-
43miths, who, although very good at work to which
they are accustomed, may not understand these
new actions, of which there are about twenty
varieties in use.
At Calcutta there are two excellent gun-
maker's establishments where repairs can be
done, Manton & Co., and Rodda & Co. ; and at
up-country stations regimental armourers can
usually do any petty repairs. In the Punjab,
and at some stations elsewhere, native gunsmiths
turn out excellent work, and can do repairs and
<;opy from patterns very well.
A '500 express bullet-mould, made a few years
ago by a native at Rawalpindi, cast a bullet of
the exact weight, to a grain or two, of the one
given to him for a pattern, and this bullet made
SPORTING FIRE-ARMS. 125
excellent shooting. Bullet-moulds, implements,
&c. can be turned out marvellously well by the
Punjabee gunsmiths ; and I even saw a pin^fire
gun, which was too weak in the action to con-
vert into a central fire, fitted with a new central*
fire breech action, which was beautifully made
and finished, and worked perfectly well. It was
cut with a cold chisel out of a solid block of iron,
and the smith's only implements were cold
chisels and files and hand-drills ; he had no
machinery of any kind . The price charged for
the new action was only £3.
Of course, in employing a native to do any
work, it is necessary to make him thoroughly
understand what is' required of him — ^not always
an easy matter. It is best only to employ him
in copying a pattern, and caution should be used
not to give the work to one who has not been
ascertained to be a first-rate workman, especially
in cases where bad workmanship would damage
beyond repair a valuable article.
126 SPORTING FIRE-ARMS.
CHAPTER XII.
Difficulty of Shooting under a Bright Sun on account of
the Glare ; how Remedied. — The Flashing of Polished
Barrels scaring Game. — A Cure for this Defect. —
Neutral-tinted Spectacles. — ^Equipment, Clothing, &c.
— Payment of Beaters or Coolies in India. — Hints on
Beverages. — "Works on Indian Sport recommended
for Perusal. — The Prices of Guns and Eifles. —
Conclusion.
In shooting in the open in bright sunlight, such
as there usually is in India and other hot coun-
tries, great difficulty will be experienced in
aiming on account of the glare of the sun. The
top of the rib and other parts of the rifle that
come near the line of sight should be roughed so as
not to reflect the sunlight, and it will be found to
be a good plan to have a couple of movable shades
made to cover both the front and back sights for
shooting under a bright sun. These shades might
THENEWYORK
PUBLIC LIBRARY
ASrOR, LENOX AND
TILOEN FOUNDATIONS.
PI. vx.
Toras.yA sXn-ie tffi
II-
i ;,
SPORTING FIRE-ARMS. 127
be made of steel, similar to that of which pen-
holders are made, but a little stouter, to slip or
slide on to the barrels. They would act also as
protectors to the sights (see Figs. 2 and 3, Plate
VI.). The sights as seen under these shades
will be very clearly defined against an object.
Messrs. ToUey supply protectors somewhat
similar to those figured in Plate VI.
The polished barrels of guns and rifles are apt
to scare game on account of the sun flashing on
them, and, perhaps, the following plan might be
of use to deaden their surface and prevent their
flashing in the sun : give the barrels a coat of
some dark oil paint, and sprinkle on it, while wet,
some dust of a dark colour. In putting on the
paint care should be taken not to touch any
of the wood-work, the rib, sights, or anything
from which the paint is not easily removable.
It can be removed, when not required, with
turpentine.
Neutral- tinted spectacles will be sometimes
of great advantage in relieving the eyes from
the glare of the sun ; they do not, at least such
is my experience, interfere with shooting in the
least.
128 8POBTINO FIRE- ARMS.
I will now say a few words about personal
equipment, clothing, &c.
As in India cartridges are carried for one, it
is not necessary to encumber oneself with belts^
or bags, but a few cartridges should be taken in
the pocket; in big-game shooting this should
always be done.
Cartridge-bags should be of large size, and
should have two or three compartments for carry-
ing cartridges of different kinds; this is -useful
when shooting with two or three c'iflferent sizes
of shot. Good leather shikar bag can be got at
Cawnpore and other places in Intlia. A piece of
string, oil-rag, knife, &c. should be stowed away
in a small pocket of the bag.
Rifle-cartridges, especially coiled ones, should
be made up in packets of eight or ten, to prevent
them^ fe^'ng damaged by knocking about loose in
a bag. -^
For a hunting-knife, a butchOT's knife with a
six-inch blade in a sheath is an efficient one. A
few spare ones can be taken, they are cheap
and come in useful. Mahomedans will not
eat the flesh of animals which have not been
" hallaled," or had their throats cut with cer-
SPORTING FIEE-ARMS, 129
tain rites by one of their own sect; and it is
as well to have one of these knives to give to
one's Mahomedan attendant when one is out
shooting. A few skinning-knives are useful to
have.
Any amount of arsenic can be procured in the
Indian bazaars for preserving skins, the art of
doing which should be learnt from an experienced
person,
A good shooting-coat for India, and probably
most other semi-tropical countries, is one of
Norfolk jacket cut, with stand-up collar and
plenty of pockets. It should have leather
strapped on the shoulders for convenience in
carrying guns. The coat should be of some
neutral - coloured material, dead - leaf colour,
brownish grey, &c., according to the nature of
the country and surroundings generally. The
thickness and strength of the stuff should be
suited to the climate and wear and tear it is
likely to get. The coat should, for hot weather
shooting, have a removable wadded lining to
button on, to cover the spine, neck, and
shoulders, which require protection from the
sun.
9
130 SPORTING FIBE-ABMS.
The helmet, or " sola topee " (pith hat),
should be covered with the same coloured cloth
as that of the coat. Its cover may be wadded
with cotton, and a wadded curtain to protect
the back of the head, neck, and ears, may be
buttoned on to it.
The trousers may be of the breeches or
knickerbocker type, and should, for a country
where spear-grass abounds, be of some close,
spear-grass-proof material.
Gaiters of leather or tanned canvas, or " put-
ties*' (bandages of a kind of native serge), may
be worn when necessary. Under-clothing, ot
course, can be worn according to climate, but
flannel is best for India.
For snipe and quail shooting, &c., near a
station, any old clothes do well enough, but for
big game and most other kinds of sport an ap-
propriate costume is necessary. The importance
of colour in dress, especially in big-game shoot-
ing, is very great. No one dressed in white or
other staring colour, or showing any conspicuous
object about his person, like a white handker-
chief, for instance, has a chance of being suc-
cessful.
SPOBTING FIRE-ARMS. 131
In India strong cotton material of all the
good shikar colours may be had at most of the
jails. It is very durable, and some of it which
is something like canvas is proof against spear-
grass. Clothing need not be purchased at home
for shikar purposes ; it can be as well and more
cheaply procured in India.
For hot weather, the best boots to wear are
those made of sambur-skin ; they can be made
to any pattern in the bazars. For stalking, I
have seen capital sambur-skin boots made with
thick cloth soles; they are quite noiseless.
Sambur leather is prepared deerskin, and is like
strong, thick, soft buckskin, but it is of no use
in wet weather. For cold and damp weather
English shooting-boots are best.
In Cashmere, where the pine-clad hill-sides are
slippery from being covered with the needles of
the fir-trees, the native foot-gear, grass sandals
(chuplis), should be worn; they make one very
sure-footed. They are worn over socks of soft
leather.
I have now arrived at a point at which I must
give a few parting hints.
When beaters and coolies are engaged by the
182 SPORTING FIBE-ABMS.
day, their payment, which varies from 2 to 4
amias a day, should not be entrusted to a native
servant or " shikari," as a large percentage of it
is likely to remain in these gentlemen's hands.
Every beater or coolie, on being engaged, should
be given a token by which he can be recognised
at the end of the day's work, or at payment
time. Gun-wads marked with initials do very
well for this purpose ; and the sportsman
should pay them himself, or see them paid in
his presence. If he does not take this pre-
caution he may possibly find himself unable
to get them easily the next time he wants their
services.
Native servants in India are accustomed to
receive a small percentage or " dustoorie '* out
of all money paid by their master, and it is
better in a case like this to give them some little
extra allowance instead of it, to keep them in
good humour.
In small-game shooting, such as quail, par-
tridge, &c., all beating is usually done by natives,
who are under the superintendence of a native
shikari, who is in the temporary or permanent
employ of the sportsman. A few natives are
SPORTING FIRE-ARMS. 183
employed for carrying guns, cartridge -bags,
tiffin-basket, soda-water, &c.
Water for drinking is best carried in a kind
of leather bottle or bag called a "chagul,"
which is slung by a strap over a man's shoulders.
The leather, being porous, keeps the water cool.
It has a silvered spout for convenience of pour-
ing out the water into a glass, and holds two or
three gallons. It can be got at Cawnpore and
other places.
It is as well not to drink wine, beer, or
spirits, while out shooting, at any rate till the
cool of the evening. Cold tea, carried in bottles,
lemon-sherbet, soda-water, &c., are feir better;
an orange is a capital allayer of thirst, and a
few of them should be taken if possible.
I have not space in a little work like this to
go into the details of equipment necessary for a
sporting trip. The camp equipage and other
necessary impediments vary according to the
part of India and the season the shooting is to
be done in, and the proper things to provide
can only be learnt on the spot ; but to those who
are anxious to learn about Indian sport and its
accessories generally I cannot do better than
134 SPORTING FIRE-ABMS.
recommend the perusal of works like the
Highlands of Central India, by the late Captain
Forsyth, Sanderson's Thirteen Years among the
Wild Beasts of India, and the works of Gordon*
Gumming and others, which are capital narra*
tives of sport among the big game of India^
and give a good idea of the country in which
they are to be found.
The Asian, sl sporting paper published at
Calcutta, contains a good many accounts of
shooting-trips and shikari stories, which are
also to be met with in the Field, Shooting
Times, &c.
Forsyth's work. The Sporting Rifle and its
Projectiles, is a most interesting one from the
fact that it was the cause of the present state of
perfection of large-bore rifles. His ideas have
been very little improved upon, though they
were given to the world twenty years ago, and
thoroughly described what a good sporting-rifle
should be like.
The prices of guns and rifles vaiy among the
difierent makers. Double rifles cost from 50 to
60 guineas in Henry's, Rigby's, or Dougal's best
qualities, to about J625 to £30 for ToUey's or
SPOETING FIRE-ARMS. 135
Turner's make, which is about the lowest rate
at which perhaps really good double rifles can
be got. The price of single rifles varies in the
same way from £25 to about £5, according to
the quality and make.
In shot-guns, Bland makes a very good
shooting gun of plain finish, though not, of
course, of the style of higher-class guns, costing
from 6 to 10 guineas ; and other makers have
guns suitable for rough use at similarly low
prices, some of them, as, for instance, Tolley's
emigrant's gun, a very nice-looking and better-
finished weapon than Bland's. ReUly's, Turner's,
and other good makers' cheap guns, are to be
depended upon as serviceable weapons.
A very good battery for general shooting,
consisting of a double - barrel '450 or '600
express rifle and a good 12 -bore gun, both with
cases and fittings, &c., can be supplied by either
Messrs. ToUey or Turner, and landed in India *
for about £50 or a little over.
For countries where only deer, antelope, and
small -game shooting is to be had, and no
dangerous animals are to be met with, a battery
consisting of a shot-gun and single rifle of
136 SPORTING FIRE-ARMS.
•450 or '400 bore, would suffice, and could
be procured for from £20 to £25.
And now, hoping that the perusal of these
pages may not altogether be unprofitable to my
readers, I take my leave of them.
London : Printed by W. H. Allen & Co., 13 Waterloo Place, Pall Mall. S.W.
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